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Not very noisy, but here I am!
Sorry I have been so out of touch, dear friends. I just have not had time or inclination to write. Feels like a ton has happened, but *shrug*
This past weekend Chris and I attended his little sister's wedding. I am sure most of you know what I am talking about when I say that there are a handful of weddings you attend in your life that feel...perfectly...right. Where the couple is so obviously right for one another, you feel honored and full of joy at being witness to it. Stephanie and Nathan's wedding was one of those rare, beautiful unions.
The wedding was on a beach in Morro Bay, CA. The backdrop was this sandstone wall, overgrown with hanging shrubery, with a small creek cutting along the front of it. We were seated on a sandy bar facing the wall and creek, with the ocean crashing against the rocks to our left. It was overcast, but warm enough, and the rays still managed to burn us a bit. The wedding attendees were limited to a small number--parhaps 30+ of us in all.
The ceremony included a multi-stage water blessing. On the alter was a pitcher of water, and as guests arrived, we were invited to walk up, hold the pitcher of water, and "bless" it with good thoughts and feelings for the couple. Chris and I did so, holding the pitcher between us, and kissed over it, infusing it with love and successful marriage juju. The ceremony itself was very personal to them, for certain, and various readings enumerated the significance and symbolism of water and the color green (their wedding color) in their relationship. The attendants had processed with tall staffs topped with multi-colored ribbons, and stood like sentries creating a circle around all of us--keeping all that juju in! My favorite part was when the two entwined their fingers to form a sort of bowl with their upturned palms, and the many qualities of the blessed water was invoked as it was poured into their hands. Then they walked into the creek along with the officiant for a private exchange and blessing, after which they said their vows and exchanged rings. Seeing Stephanie kiss his ring before placing it on his hand makes me tear up to remember it even now. And the imagery of she in her beautiful silk gown and Nathan in his kilt standing in the rushing creek...so beautiful.
Afterward, they had a lot of people taking various photos, and Stephanie reminded Chris that she had asked him to take "official" photos. He didn't remember that, but we had been in this role before and enjoy it very much. And it had the added bonus of Chris getting to play with his new camera I got him as a belated anniversary gift (which is freakin' sweet!) Sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't hire out to do wedding photography together...it's fun! I do the "staging"--they stylist if you will. We frame them together, and Chris does the magic with the camera (aperature values? huh?) Having this beautiful beach as a backdrop, and two willing subjects (and their family and wedding party) made for a fun and creative time. Chris has offloaded the photos, but I haven't seen them yet. Can't wait to see how they turned out.
I was bummed that we didn't have more time to explore the beautiful region. We flew in Friday night, went straight to the (delicious and beautiful) Italian rehearsal dinner. Then Saturday at 11am was the wedding, we did photos, then rushed to the park to help decorate and set up for the barbecue reception, then hung there for hours eating and chatting, then back to the room for me to nap in preparation for an intended night out with the bridesmaids. We were on our way out to dinner when Gina stopped by and admitted she and the gals were too tired to hang out after all (they had been running around taking care of all the details the entire weekend). We tried to find a place open to eat, but everything was closed around 9:30. We picked up dinner at the local Albertsons instead, and had a "romantic" meal of pizza and salad on our hotel room bed.
Sunday we checked out at 11am, got some breakfast at a lovely little cafe in San Luis Obispo, and then hung at the tiny airport until our 2:30 flight to LAX, to continue through to Seattle.
On the trip home we experienced continuing exception to an otherwise uneventful trip, which is due to the fact that "Christopher Moore" is a name on the friggin' no-fly list. So thanks to George W, Chris (and I, with him) can never do electronic check-in, and they have to take our ID's into some back room and cross-check his birthdate and description with the guy who shares his name (which includes this other poor guy who is also not-guilty-but-treated-like-he-is). In LAX, they were having various issues with planes and computers which had us switching to a different flight (which was a 1:30 flight which was delayed to OUR flight time, which we switched to, and OUR flight was delayed an hour), and that combined with Chris' name being George W'd, we stood in line for (no exaggeration) 2 hours! Yes, our entire stopover was spent standing in line and at a counter waiting for a guy making calls all over the place to verify Chris' identity as an Honest To Goodness Law-Abiding American. I pressed the gentleman (who was very nice, though frustratingly un-forthcoming in sharing with us when the computer delays persisted) to allow us to step away from the counter long enough to get some food to take on the plane, and when we got back, they had finally cleared him. Then they issued tickets for the wrong flight, and we had to change that over before rushing to use the bathroom and right to the gate to board immediately. Chris is eager for a new President to take office, and hopefully fix these ridiculously ineffective procedures to "keep our air travel safe". *snort* While we're at it, chalk up the carriage of liquids and gels on planes. I packaged some of my products, but left the rest in my carry-on, and nobody said boo to me. I mean, come on. Why in a labeled package? I could put ANYTHING in a "Herbal Essences" travel bottle--the label does not do a damn thing. Limits to 3oz is also ridiculous, considering I can fill a gallon sized bag with multiple 3oz containers; not to mention I could have 2 friends do the same thing, and pretty soon we have over a pound of "shampoo" on the flight. *waving dismissive hand at the government*
But I digress!
Sadly, a quick drive through Burien revealed I was again to be completely disappointed I couldn't get my Wah Kue's! They closed and locked the doors as we drove up at 8:30pm! WHAT THE?! We picked up some Mandarin Gate (poor substitute) on the way home, and when we got there...the house felt sooo empty! NO PUPPIES! WAH! We pretty much pined all night for them.
In the AM, Amy and Erik's friend Pawl came to get the old couch we were giving away (they grow 'em tall in that part of the country!). Anyway, he took the sofa, and we head out happily to get the pups. Ah, family! The report card from the Doggy Haven staff said they didn't eat as well as their last visit. And Gretchen was timid around th big dogs, which is a new development. We need to get them back to the dog park... So they put Gretchen in with the little dogs area. Both Loki and Gretchen apparently threw a FIT when they were separated ("1-2-3-AAAAW!"), so they put Loki in with the little dogs along with her, and apparently they BOTH were a million times happier in there, and the rest of their stay was a happy one. :) The report also gushed about how sweet and cute Gretchen is and how much all the staff adored her. We have the best puppies.
Home again, we cuddled and coddled the pups for a while, but had to head out again...this time, to finally begin our "Ikea collection" with a new Ektorp chair. Doesn't matter how few things you come for, you walk out with more, and this was no exception. We wandered through the store, sitting in different chairs and taking in different inspiration ideas. We discovered that the slipcover we thought we wanted for the chair was waaay brighter red than we realized AND was this fluffy corduroy fabric. The other options were entirely not right for us, but we resigned ourselves to the plain beige, with hopes that they would come out with a different color cover in some future year that we would want.
We grabbed several other items, including the rug I have wanted for a while and thought would look good in the new dining room (it does!), and on our way out was checked the As-Is section...and tada. Another Ektorp chair--a display model with a few scuffs on the slipcover--was for sale at a very discounted price. And to boot, everything in the As-Is section was an additional 25% off that day only! Over $100 off total. It had a white slipcover, which was not our plan, but we figured using white in the interim--washing it as best we could, and swapping it out when we get a color we want--would work fine. So home we went with two WHITE Ektorp chairs. WHITE. With two BLACK HAIRED DOGS. With the wet, muddy Seattle WINTER COMING ON. Yes, it is temporary, but it still felt (and feels) so...wrong!!
We took the next two hours before I left for class playing rearrange. Sadly, the way I dreamed we would arrange the room will in NO way work. Particularly when we get the Ektorp sofa-bed to match, which is a foot longer than the current little loveseat, there is simply no other way to arrange the room than the way it is currently set up. So I got no satisfaction in that arena. But Chris was realy determined to get a layout I was would be happy with before I had to dash off to class. He made some great suggestions on re-orienting the current layout, and when I was in the shower hosin' off, he cleaned the room and set up lots of beautiful candles. It looked lovely, but still felt "off". Bottom line: part of it is the fact that the chairs are white and larger than the loveseat--making them stick out and seem larger than they are. It also makes the loveseat look "freakishly small" (Chris' words), which makes us all the more eager to get the sofa ASAP. The current TV stand is small and very different than the other furniture in the room, and combine that with it being all the way across the room, and the rest of the furniture is cuddled around the cozy red rug, it feels very separate and different. Once we get the TV bench on our list, it will help tie it together, and give us room to store our DVD collection. And last on the list of furniture "to-do's" is to get a large, square coffee table. This narrow one we currently have adds to the tunnel-feeling of the room as it is oriented now.
The good news is that the room feels very opened up! It feels cozier--more conversational-nook feel than it had before. The whole room feels softer since we angled some stuff to take some of the sharp corners out, and the furniture feels larger and more "overstuffed" in the small room (but without actually BEING bigger--we downsized overall). We are eager to get some new art up, as the walls are more exposed now, and the blank canvass it reveals is begging for attention. As it sits now, Chris and I each have our own easy chair. Gretchen says, "FINALLY! I have the couch to myself I always deserved!"
Now what to do for the bedroom when we're done in here. Or shall we work on the kitchen...? So many plans!
Today is my first troupe night since Renee has left for Germany for the rest of the year. I am trippin'! I feel so WEIRD! Renee is so much a part of my dance life, it's like a limb has been cut off, and tonight I have to try and work without it. I know that sounds dramatic, but it really feels more acute than I realized. I hope she gets a chance to e-mail soon. I wonder how her trip went, and how things are shaping up? They have been there about 3 days by now. Only 10 weeks and 4 days left... Heehee
This past weekend Chris and I attended his little sister's wedding. I am sure most of you know what I am talking about when I say that there are a handful of weddings you attend in your life that feel...perfectly...right. Where the couple is so obviously right for one another, you feel honored and full of joy at being witness to it. Stephanie and Nathan's wedding was one of those rare, beautiful unions.
The wedding was on a beach in Morro Bay, CA. The backdrop was this sandstone wall, overgrown with hanging shrubery, with a small creek cutting along the front of it. We were seated on a sandy bar facing the wall and creek, with the ocean crashing against the rocks to our left. It was overcast, but warm enough, and the rays still managed to burn us a bit. The wedding attendees were limited to a small number--parhaps 30+ of us in all.
The ceremony included a multi-stage water blessing. On the alter was a pitcher of water, and as guests arrived, we were invited to walk up, hold the pitcher of water, and "bless" it with good thoughts and feelings for the couple. Chris and I did so, holding the pitcher between us, and kissed over it, infusing it with love and successful marriage juju. The ceremony itself was very personal to them, for certain, and various readings enumerated the significance and symbolism of water and the color green (their wedding color) in their relationship. The attendants had processed with tall staffs topped with multi-colored ribbons, and stood like sentries creating a circle around all of us--keeping all that juju in! My favorite part was when the two entwined their fingers to form a sort of bowl with their upturned palms, and the many qualities of the blessed water was invoked as it was poured into their hands. Then they walked into the creek along with the officiant for a private exchange and blessing, after which they said their vows and exchanged rings. Seeing Stephanie kiss his ring before placing it on his hand makes me tear up to remember it even now. And the imagery of she in her beautiful silk gown and Nathan in his kilt standing in the rushing creek...so beautiful.
Afterward, they had a lot of people taking various photos, and Stephanie reminded Chris that she had asked him to take "official" photos. He didn't remember that, but we had been in this role before and enjoy it very much. And it had the added bonus of Chris getting to play with his new camera I got him as a belated anniversary gift (which is freakin' sweet!) Sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't hire out to do wedding photography together...it's fun! I do the "staging"--they stylist if you will. We frame them together, and Chris does the magic with the camera (aperature values? huh?) Having this beautiful beach as a backdrop, and two willing subjects (and their family and wedding party) made for a fun and creative time. Chris has offloaded the photos, but I haven't seen them yet. Can't wait to see how they turned out.
I was bummed that we didn't have more time to explore the beautiful region. We flew in Friday night, went straight to the (delicious and beautiful) Italian rehearsal dinner. Then Saturday at 11am was the wedding, we did photos, then rushed to the park to help decorate and set up for the barbecue reception, then hung there for hours eating and chatting, then back to the room for me to nap in preparation for an intended night out with the bridesmaids. We were on our way out to dinner when Gina stopped by and admitted she and the gals were too tired to hang out after all (they had been running around taking care of all the details the entire weekend). We tried to find a place open to eat, but everything was closed around 9:30. We picked up dinner at the local Albertsons instead, and had a "romantic" meal of pizza and salad on our hotel room bed.
Sunday we checked out at 11am, got some breakfast at a lovely little cafe in San Luis Obispo, and then hung at the tiny airport until our 2:30 flight to LAX, to continue through to Seattle.
On the trip home we experienced continuing exception to an otherwise uneventful trip, which is due to the fact that "Christopher Moore" is a name on the friggin' no-fly list. So thanks to George W, Chris (and I, with him) can never do electronic check-in, and they have to take our ID's into some back room and cross-check his birthdate and description with the guy who shares his name (which includes this other poor guy who is also not-guilty-but-treated-like-he-is). In LAX, they were having various issues with planes and computers which had us switching to a different flight (which was a 1:30 flight which was delayed to OUR flight time, which we switched to, and OUR flight was delayed an hour), and that combined with Chris' name being George W'd, we stood in line for (no exaggeration) 2 hours! Yes, our entire stopover was spent standing in line and at a counter waiting for a guy making calls all over the place to verify Chris' identity as an Honest To Goodness Law-Abiding American. I pressed the gentleman (who was very nice, though frustratingly un-forthcoming in sharing with us when the computer delays persisted) to allow us to step away from the counter long enough to get some food to take on the plane, and when we got back, they had finally cleared him. Then they issued tickets for the wrong flight, and we had to change that over before rushing to use the bathroom and right to the gate to board immediately. Chris is eager for a new President to take office, and hopefully fix these ridiculously ineffective procedures to "keep our air travel safe". *snort* While we're at it, chalk up the carriage of liquids and gels on planes. I packaged some of my products, but left the rest in my carry-on, and nobody said boo to me. I mean, come on. Why in a labeled package? I could put ANYTHING in a "Herbal Essences" travel bottle--the label does not do a damn thing. Limits to 3oz is also ridiculous, considering I can fill a gallon sized bag with multiple 3oz containers; not to mention I could have 2 friends do the same thing, and pretty soon we have over a pound of "shampoo" on the flight. *waving dismissive hand at the government*
But I digress!
Sadly, a quick drive through Burien revealed I was again to be completely disappointed I couldn't get my Wah Kue's! They closed and locked the doors as we drove up at 8:30pm! WHAT THE?! We picked up some Mandarin Gate (poor substitute) on the way home, and when we got there...the house felt sooo empty! NO PUPPIES! WAH! We pretty much pined all night for them.
In the AM, Amy and Erik's friend Pawl came to get the old couch we were giving away (they grow 'em tall in that part of the country!). Anyway, he took the sofa, and we head out happily to get the pups. Ah, family! The report card from the Doggy Haven staff said they didn't eat as well as their last visit. And Gretchen was timid around th big dogs, which is a new development. We need to get them back to the dog park... So they put Gretchen in with the little dogs area. Both Loki and Gretchen apparently threw a FIT when they were separated ("1-2-3-AAAAW!"), so they put Loki in with the little dogs along with her, and apparently they BOTH were a million times happier in there, and the rest of their stay was a happy one. :) The report also gushed about how sweet and cute Gretchen is and how much all the staff adored her. We have the best puppies.
Home again, we cuddled and coddled the pups for a while, but had to head out again...this time, to finally begin our "Ikea collection" with a new Ektorp chair. Doesn't matter how few things you come for, you walk out with more, and this was no exception. We wandered through the store, sitting in different chairs and taking in different inspiration ideas. We discovered that the slipcover we thought we wanted for the chair was waaay brighter red than we realized AND was this fluffy corduroy fabric. The other options were entirely not right for us, but we resigned ourselves to the plain beige, with hopes that they would come out with a different color cover in some future year that we would want.
We grabbed several other items, including the rug I have wanted for a while and thought would look good in the new dining room (it does!), and on our way out was checked the As-Is section...and tada. Another Ektorp chair--a display model with a few scuffs on the slipcover--was for sale at a very discounted price. And to boot, everything in the As-Is section was an additional 25% off that day only! Over $100 off total. It had a white slipcover, which was not our plan, but we figured using white in the interim--washing it as best we could, and swapping it out when we get a color we want--would work fine. So home we went with two WHITE Ektorp chairs. WHITE. With two BLACK HAIRED DOGS. With the wet, muddy Seattle WINTER COMING ON. Yes, it is temporary, but it still felt (and feels) so...wrong!!
We took the next two hours before I left for class playing rearrange. Sadly, the way I dreamed we would arrange the room will in NO way work. Particularly when we get the Ektorp sofa-bed to match, which is a foot longer than the current little loveseat, there is simply no other way to arrange the room than the way it is currently set up. So I got no satisfaction in that arena. But Chris was realy determined to get a layout I was would be happy with before I had to dash off to class. He made some great suggestions on re-orienting the current layout, and when I was in the shower hosin' off, he cleaned the room and set up lots of beautiful candles. It looked lovely, but still felt "off". Bottom line: part of it is the fact that the chairs are white and larger than the loveseat--making them stick out and seem larger than they are. It also makes the loveseat look "freakishly small" (Chris' words), which makes us all the more eager to get the sofa ASAP. The current TV stand is small and very different than the other furniture in the room, and combine that with it being all the way across the room, and the rest of the furniture is cuddled around the cozy red rug, it feels very separate and different. Once we get the TV bench on our list, it will help tie it together, and give us room to store our DVD collection. And last on the list of furniture "to-do's" is to get a large, square coffee table. This narrow one we currently have adds to the tunnel-feeling of the room as it is oriented now.
The good news is that the room feels very opened up! It feels cozier--more conversational-nook feel than it had before. The whole room feels softer since we angled some stuff to take some of the sharp corners out, and the furniture feels larger and more "overstuffed" in the small room (but without actually BEING bigger--we downsized overall). We are eager to get some new art up, as the walls are more exposed now, and the blank canvass it reveals is begging for attention. As it sits now, Chris and I each have our own easy chair. Gretchen says, "FINALLY! I have the couch to myself I always deserved!"
Now what to do for the bedroom when we're done in here. Or shall we work on the kitchen...? So many plans!
Today is my first troupe night since Renee has left for Germany for the rest of the year. I am trippin'! I feel so WEIRD! Renee is so much a part of my dance life, it's like a limb has been cut off, and tonight I have to try and work without it. I know that sounds dramatic, but it really feels more acute than I realized. I hope she gets a chance to e-mail soon. I wonder how her trip went, and how things are shaping up? They have been there about 3 days by now. Only 10 weeks and 4 days left... Heehee
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