One month down, less than 100 days to go

Not only are we counting down to the wedding (97 days to go), but we're also counting up.  Troy has been living in PA for a little more than a month now, and as one countdown continues, so does the other.  But that's not to say we haven't been busy!

This weekend we were lucky enough to have my future brother-in-law Adam and his girlfriend Kristen pay us a visit.  It was nice to be able to spend time with them and chat about the upcoming wedding with the Best Man.  He's surprisingly interested in it all! But easily, the highlight of our weekend was taking Adam to get measured for his tuxedo

Now, I have never seen Adam in dress clothes; and neither has Kristen.  So when he walked out of the dressing room all fancied-up, it was most definitely a treat.  The groomsmen will be wearing pretty traditional wedding day garb -- a black tuxedo with a charcoal gray vest.  Something along the lines of this:

Stylin', no?

In other apparel news, I had another gown fitting this weekend, which was great.  It's crazy to think I will be wearing the dress to get married in a few short months.  Let's just say the transformation of my mom's 1980s gown into its current state has been amazing.  Additionally, the seamstress was able to make a number of wedding accessories from the leftover lace, including a pillow for our ring bearer, a garter and a hair piece for both me and the flower girl.  Not only is everything perfectly coordinated, she was able to do it for a fraction of the cost of buying things online.  Now it seems like everything is coming together, and with less than 100 days to go, it couldn't be better!

I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends

Honestly, what's been keeping me sane during my weeks without Troy are my girlfriends. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of ladies that I can count on and I'm glad that we've been able to get together once a week. It's really helped me get through my first month of flying solo. I'm not sure it's helped my wallet or my waistline, but eh, that's what jobs and gyms are for!

Needless to say, most of our get togethers have been over lovely meals. And in addition to the great company, I've also had the opportunity to try a number of new restaurants in the area. Good friends + good food = GREAT night. I love that Cleveland has such an amazing restaurant scene. But out of all our meals, my favorite has to be the delicious dogs at Happy Dog.

We met at Happy Dog on a Thursday night after work, before heading to an event for our lovely friend Lauren. I think what I love the most about Happy Dog is that for $5, you can have a juicy hot dog, on a fresh bun with as many toppings as you like, no questions asked. I went with the sausage, topped with house made ketchup. bourbon baked beans, smoked gouda and blue cheese coleslaw. I know it seems like a lot, but it was so tasty. Add some tator tots with an array of dipping sauces, and call it a night!

Oh Happy Dog...You make me happy :)

But regardless of where we are or what we're eating, all that matters is that I'm with some of my favorite people in the world.

Weekend Wedding Wrap Up

Troy was home for the weekend so you know what that meant -- time to do some wedding planning!  So on Saturday morning we set out, I withdrew some cash money from my wedding fund *sigh* and we hit the ground running.

The main stop on our agenda (after a little gratuitous shopping) was the Flower Factory.  If you don't know what Flower Factory is, think of it as a dollar and craft store the size of a Costco.  It's cheap, has pretty much anything you could imagine, and best of all, the store is closing meaning this weekend... an extra 15% off.

After meeting with our florist, we decided to assemble one of the centerpiece options on our own.  So I wanted to hit up the Flower Factory for some inspiration and/or to find materials.  The centerpieces have been the biggest point of contention in this entire wedding planning process.  Dress? Easy. Venue? Donzo. Food? No arguments.  But centerpieces?  Kill. Me. Now.  Especially since my mother hates flowers ("what a waste of money") AND candles ("they make me nervous").  GREAT.

To be fair, I've been extremely indecisive too.  But lately, our two non-floral front runners are:

Beaded candle holders

Pewter lanterns

I know what you're thinking: both of those incorporate candles, duh.  Here's the kicker; they get the Kim seal of approval because flame is contained.  To my delight, we're in the clear!  This might actually be the end of the great centerpiece debate!

Sadly Flower Factory had NOTHING similar, so we're going to order one of these items from a garden wholesaler (www.jamaligarden.com to be exact).

On the bright side, I was able to score a great deal on 216 bottles of bubbles (what's a wedding without bubbles?), 100 traditional and classic ivory thank you notes and 12 cube vases the florist needs for my peony centerpieces.  A whole cartful of stuff and only $98 later, we were done.  To all my fellow brides -- or anyone planning a major party -- get thee to a Flower Factory. And stat.

The Best Part of Waking Up

The only thing that makes getting up during the week worthwhile are the Saved by the Bell reruns on TBS.  Two glorious hours of Zack, Kelly, Screech, Jessie, Slater and Lisa.  It's pretty much what I live for before 9 a.m.

When Troy worked at a golf course for the first two years of our cohabitation, he was up and out of the apartment well before 7 a.m., leaving me to enjoy SBTB in peace and on every TV, in every room if I so desired.  But then, he got a 9-5 job, and we were on the same schedule, and bye bye to Bayside and Mr. Belding.  Instead I was stuck watching Sportscenter, top plays and learning enough sports knowledge to last a lifetime.

Now that I'm back to a solo schedule in the morning, I've been able to get my fill of all Zack Morris' antics.  Don't misunderstand -- Troy being home easily trumps Saved by the Bell.  I'm just finding the silver lining :)

If you are a child of the 80s or 90s and don't take pleasure in a good episode of Saved by the Bell, shame on you.  How can you not enjoy such quality programming as a dance off at the Max featuring the one and only Casey Kasem?

Lisa and Screech doing "The Sprain"

Or the ever popular Miss Bayside beauty competition where Slater and Screech decide to break down stereotypical gender roles?

That's one heck of a Miss Bayside candidate, mullet be damned

Or my absolute favorite of all time (and I'm sure it's yours, too).  The one where Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills?  She's so excited, she's so excited. She's so, so SCARED!

No time! There's never any time!

Should I be watching the news in morning before work?  Probably.  But will I?  No.  Not unless we're in that horrible phase of the junior high episodes that even the very lovely Haley Mills can't save.  Plus, my work BFF Jamie and I share this obsession with the Bayside gang.  If we didn't watch SBTB before we got to the office, what would we talk about?  Work? Nah...

Dress Dilemma - Flower Girl Edition

Meet Katelyn.  She's six years old and will be the flower girl at our wedding. I've been perusing a number of websites trying to find the perfect dress, but it's absurd how much they cost.  Just add the prefix "flower girl" to "dress" and you can expect to pay twice, heck even three times as much as any other special occasion outfit.  So I decided to wait and look once the Easter and First Communion dresses hit stores.

Troy and I were shopping with my mom yesterday when we found not one, but two, incredibly cute options for Miss Katelyn.  One is a very traditional look for a flower girl.  The other is different and fun.  As someone who's fairly traditional, I'm torn between which dress Katie should wear.  So I bought them both.

Ivory flower girl dress with pearl accents

This is the other one.

Silver sparkle flower girl dress

What are your thoughts -- silver sparkle or ivory pearl?  I'm sure Katie will love them both -- and since the silver one was only $18 (gotta love an extra 30% off at Dillards!) she can always wear it for the rehearsal or even to play dress up.  Good thing I have 118 days to think it over!

Cooking for One

Mmmm Stir Fry (not mine though)

I love to cook.  My Uncle Gerry calls me "Rachael Ray" every time I'm in the kitchen.  And ever since Troy and I moved in together, we've probably prepared and enjoyed a home-cooked meal five nights a week.  But now that it's just me, my motivation has taken a big, fat nose-dive.  Not because I want to indulge and eat McDonald's every night, but because part of why I love cooking is to share it with others and give them a meal that's satisfying and tasty.

Out of the seven nights that I've been on my own, I think I've only made dinner for myself two times.  To say I've been slacking is an understatement, and tonight, I decided it was time to get my groove back.  

As part of my pre-wedding slim down, I've given up eating most starches and carbs.  I know, a terrible decision, and one that has kept me away from one of my favorite types of food: Asian.  How can you possibly enjoy it sans rice and those amazing deep-fried egg rolls?  I decided that I couldn't let this diet get the best of me, so I decided to try a stir fry that was good and good for you.  Below is my quick and easy carb-free chicken stir fry, which was so delish, I promise, you won't even miss the rice.  

Ingredients:

- 1 tbs. olive oil

- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 cup zucchini

- 1 1/2 cups frozen stir fry vegetables

- 1/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame

- 1/4 cup store-bought peanut sauce

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Mince the garlic and add.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add, cooking each side for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from pan and add zucchini (also seasoned with salt and pepper).  After 2 minutes, add the  frozen veggies and edamame.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 4-6 mins.

This next step is important: be sure to drain the excess liquid from the pan.  If you don't, your stir fry will get soggy and your peanut sauce will be runny.  Once the veggies are drained, add the chicken back in and the peanut sauce.  Mix well (I find tongs work best) and cook uncovered for another 3 minutes as you allow the flavors to combine.  

And then, TA-DA!  A yummy stir fry dinner (without the carbs) for one!    I'm sorry there's no picture of my delicious meal -- I thought about taking one after I was finished devouring my dish.  And even though it may look like a lot of food for one person at first, the veggies cook down and it's all healthy stuff; so there's no need to feel guilty!

Weekend Wedding Wrap Up

What better way to spend a weekend then to do a bunch of wedding planning!

I'm sure that's exactly what Troy thought, too...

In my defense we had all of our appointments scheduled before we knew he'd only be home on the weekends.  So we spent the majority of Troy's first weekend back at my parents' house, doing a number of wedding things, like meeting with the florist, viewing the linens for the reception and meeting with the priest to continue our pre-marriage counseling.

As with most grooms, flowers are not high on Troy's priority list, especially at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.  My mom and I went to see the florist and talk through all the blooms for the big day.  To provide a little background, my mom is always looking for something unique and classy when it comes to the wedding, so finding the right centerpiece has been a challenge.  Mostly because there are so many ideas out there.  But I'm happy with our decisions.   To give you a sneak peak, one of the arrangements will look something like this (finger's crossed):

After hashing out all the details -- peonies or garden roses, branches or baby's breath -- and two hours, we were done.  Time to head to the next appointment.

Linens tend to not be as difficult as flowers, thank goodness.  We went with the white tablecloths and chair covers instead of the ivory (they just looked like dirty white ones) and a dark gray sash on the chairs.  Glad to be checking things off my list!  We headed back home after our counseling session and snuggled in for a night of laundry and TV.  Sometimes all it takes is doing the simple things with the one you love to have the prefect Saturday night.