Monday, April 25, 2011

Simple Inspiration: Countdown Inspired Quotes


There has been an absolute transition of time. It used to be that when people would ask when the wedding was, I would tell them, and they would respond: "Oh you have plenty of time!" And now all of a sudden the canned answer is, "Oh, that's coming up fast!"

117 days until the wedding. 89 days until the send off party.

Yikes when did that happen??

I have been collecting love quotes since we got engaged. I am not sure what, if anything, I will do with them but they are lovely.

Most of these have come from this blog.


Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
-- Henry Van Dyke

"When you're in love you never really know whether
your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love,
or if it attributes them to her;
whether the light which surrounds her like a halo
comes from you, from her,
or from the meeting of your sparks."
- Natalie Clifford Barney


"Open your life wide, and take me in forever.
I will never be tired-
I will never be noisy when you want
to be still...nobody else will see me, but you—
but that is enough—I shall not want any more."
—Emily Dickinson to an unknown recipient

 
"Love is everything it's cracked up to be …
It really is worth fighting for,
being brave for, risking everything for."
— Erica Jong


“Sometimes, when we’re lying together,
I look at her
and I feel dizzy with the realization
that here is another distinct person from me,
who has memories, origins, thoughts,
feelings that are different from my own.
That tension between familiarity
and mystery meshes
something strong between us.
Even if one builds a life together based on trust,
attentiveness and mutual support,
I think that it’s important
that a partner continues to surprise."
-Barack Obama




Friday, April 1, 2011

30 Days: Song Challenge

My friend Nikki told me I should participate in the 30 day song challenge on facebook. I went and checked it out, got bored, and filled it all out right then and there.

I feel like I could have endless answers for some of these. What song DOESN'T remind me of somone?? In case you want to play, here it is:

day 01 - your favorite song: Motorcycle Drive By: Third Eye Blind

day 02 - your least favorite song: This is hard but for now I choose Jam by Kim Kardashian

day 03 - a song that makes you happy: Mr Jones by Counting Crows

day 04 - a song that makes you sad: Danny Boy by Frank Patterson

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone: She Will Be Loved by Maroon Five

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere: Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event: For Me This is Heaven by Jimmy Eat World

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to: Shoop by Salt N Peppa

day 09 - a song that you can dance to: Hey ya! By OutKast

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep: What you want by the John Butler Trio

day 11 - a song from your favorite band: The Song that Jane Likes by the Dave Matthews Band

day 12 - a song from a band you hate: Rockstar by Nickelback

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure: I want it that way by the Backstreet Boys

day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love: Dixieland Delight by Alabama

day 15 - a song that describes you: Short Skirt, Long Jacket by Cake

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate: macarena by Los Del Rios

day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio: Grenade by Bruno Mars

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio: English by Ashtray Hearts

day 19 - a song from your favorite album: #41 by Dave Matthews Band

day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry: Born This Way by Lady Gaga

day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy: Mushaboom by Feist

day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad: Ave Maria by Beyonce

day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding: To Make You Feel My Love by My Dad (Garth Brooks, Adele, Trisha Yearwood, Billy Joel)

day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral: In My Life by the Beetles

day 25 - a song that makes you laugh: The Wine Song by Cat Empire

day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument: Hot Crossed Buns- Haha! Used to be able to play In my life and stand by me

day 27 - a song that you wish you could play: Taylor by Jack Johnson. The intro is awesome!

day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty: Come Back Down by Lifehouse
day 29 - a song from your childhood: Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison or Roy the Boy as my family calls him

day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year: Here Comes the Sun by the Beetles

Daily Inspiration: Wedding Blogs


I have truly enjoyed being engaged. Planning our wedding has been a gift and I know I will look back at this year with joy. When we got engaged people kept tellnig me to make sure I appreciate this time as it is special and the only time in your life where you you be in this position. They are right and I even when I get stressed, I try to remind myself how lucky we are.

Part of the joy in planning has been the discovery of wedding blogs. I think I will keep reading them post nuptuals. They are bright and thoughtful. A few of my favorites are Ruffled, Green Wedding Shoes, Engaged and Inpired, and Beantown Bride Blog. I actually found my photographer through one of these but weirdly can't remember which one.
A real wedding posted on Engaged and Inspired.
This ceremony made me whisper a dragged out WOW at my desk at work.

 Do you have a wedding blog that I should know about??

Plant, Dog, Child: Step 2 Will Take Longer Than Expected.

You need to keep a plant alive before you should get a dog. You need to keep a dog alive before you should have a child. I heard that somewhere. I don't know where. Even if you don't take it literally it is about taking more responsibility. Nick and I have two dogs and up until a few days ago, I thought we were doing a great job taking care of the boys, now I feel like a terrible parent.

Duke is the older of our two canines. He is a 15 year old West Highland Terrier (westie). His personality is that of a sweet, stubborn, old man. He's content sitting on the deck with his face to the sun and although his hearing is fine, he'll ignore you if he's not ready to come in when called.

In the few years that we have had the boys, Duke's age has started to show itself. He is still happy and loving, wagging his tail and cuddling when he sees fit but he has weird spots on his body, he gets sick easily, and his vision is fading. A while back I started doing vision tests with him, holding food in front of him or waving my hand. His left eye is all white and his right eye maybe has partial vision.

With the thought that he could not really see and that we've been living in subzero temperatures, we let his hair grow out. We let his bangs fall in his face. We let a beetles like shag take over his head and fall into his eyes.

It has been sad watching our clumsy old man trip around that house. He really is getting old and I need to be honest with myself that as his visions get worse, daily tasks will get harder.

Earlier this week, with a break in cold temperature, I decided he was overdue for a haircut and clipped away a pile of hair almost the same size as him and gave him a bath. It was nice to see his sweet brown eye(s) again.

Since the cut and the bath, he has a new spring in his step. He has no trouble finding the back door and even though he's still really slow, he no longer is nervous about going up and down stairs. Turns out the hair cut was the cause of his expedient aging and not the cataracts. He's still our little old man but we need to not look at his age and think that he's any worse that he is.

Sorry Duker. I see a lot of walks and doggy ice cream in your future as Nick and I try to apologize for your bad haircut.