The Marital Bed, Sacred?

So recently as a gift from my parents, we ordered a new bed. I was very thrilled about this b/c our Full size bed for The Husband and I was just not big enough... especially when a little Kota Monster would jump into bed ALL the time. I'm not super tall - ok ok ok. I'm not tall. I'm 5'5 and The Husband is about 6ft. He's all legs as he likes to claim and i'm anything but... so for a while, we were sleeping on a mattress on the floor... it was a sad state.

so we ordered ourselves a California King. It's a Serta Alleene plush top blah blah blah and its firm yet plushy...and it finally arrived this week and before I could even make the bed, The Husband was all over it... NO JOKE

And while, he still could lay to the extent of the bed's perimeters, we are sharing this marital bed TOGETHER.

My mom always told me that a marital bed is a sacred place for husband and wife - meaning, that nobody but the married couple should ever sleep in the marital bed, alone and/or together - but its exclusive to the couple. I'm not really sure why or if this is somehow rooted in some old Korean tradition or folklore, but I am starting to have an unexplainable possessiveness over OUR new marital bed.

The previous bed was one that I owned before I even met The Husband, and thus just grandfathered into the relationship. My mother, cousins and friends have slept in this bed when visiting or babysitting our pups...  But now that we have our very first owned bed together, does this somehow make it more sacred?

See how pretty...

and with the space that our old bed frame headboard took, it actually doesn't stick out past what the full size bed stuck out... but now its just all bed. Oh and note our fancy night stands - yes, dining chairs that I was going to put into storage have now become night stands. That's how we roll


and of course we still have one of these on the bed all the time

In our bigger marital bed, I don't mind falling asleep with to this view, b/c there is plenty of room...

So that still begs the question, does having our first Marital bed together, somehow make it more important to us? Or is a bed just a bed? What is your take on your marital bed (future or present)?

Oh yea, and just to mess with my mom, I told her the bed was so big, I don't even know that The Husband is in it... so her having grandchildren may take longer than she wants... she of course shrieked and yelled at me LOL :-)

Make waiting fun...

So while, The Husband and I aren't trying yet, a friend recently sent over an article she read about how to make the two weeks of waiting between ovulation, conception and finding out if you have conceived go by faster. The article is called "Finding Humor while waiting to take a pregnancy test" by Lilian Botonti. I know once we get cleared by the Dr., this kind of humor may be just exactly what I need ...

Top ten ways to find humor while waiting... and i'm just relisting some but not posting the whole article, so make sure to check out the full post! And note, this post is to make you laugh :)

"10. Play my favorite game - Punch Prego. It's very similar to Punch Bug - you know - when you see a VW Bug, you punch your friend? Only now, every time you see a pregnant woman, you punch your partner on the shoulder.


9. Go yard sale-ing for baby items.


8. Make a list of all the things you won't be able to do while pregnant - and do them all. 

7. Borrow your best friend's new puppy - but only if it's not house trained.


6. Go someplace where people don't know you, and pretend you're pregnant. Hold your tummy a lot, and walk around with a sweet glow on your face. And be sure to walk into Motherhood Maternity and browse. And when a pregnant woman looks at you quizzically as to how far along you are - say "I'm almost 6 months along and can barely still fit into my size 8 jeans!" If we're jealous of preggos, we might as well make them jealous of us.


5. Keep a diary of all the symptoms you have- sore boobies, acne, twinges, headaches, backaches, runny nose, emotional, diarrhea, constipation - and analyze every single one. Most likely you're not pregnant - and they're just imaginary symptoms. But it's important to give your spouse an idea of the hell it's going to be when you do get pregnant.


4. Convince your spouse that you need to go on a road trip. At least 6 hours away. This serves a couple purposes. First, if you're not driving, you can sleep. And everyone knows that when you sleep, time flies. Next, just the fact you have to plan, and pack, and drive there, and drive back - that's seriously wasting your time. And finally, once you get pregnant, you know you won't be able to drive 6 hours anywhere without stopping at least 8 times to pee. So enjoy it now. And laugh at the preggos at the rest stops.


3. Go to the grocery store and buy pregnancy tests, tampons, and a bottle of wine. Be sure to go in the line with a teenage boy. They get really nervous. 

2. If at any point you do start spotting - blindly ignore the obvious. Hope to God that it's implantation bleeding - and then be sure to move as little as possible. Seriously...get the hell in bed, keep your ass
there, and meditate. You don't want to do anything that could possibly hinder implantation. Keep your uterus nice and relaxed. Whisper sweet calming thoughts to your uterus and will it to work with you for once.


1. Go shopping. You need some sexy new low rise jeans, some really expensive while lace panties, and a pair of white linen shorts. A new bathing suit would be good too. Because you're sure to get pregnant if you buy anything fitted or sexy.


If all else fails, lock yourself in your room and cry. Besides, if you leave your room, at least 4 friends will announce their pregnancies on Facebook and glow that "it's such a wonderful surprise because they weren't even trying!"

Fixing up the Closet

A peaceful space is a peaceful feeling. Material clutter can clutter your mind and soul, so last year when i had a few weeks off from work, I put to good use that extra time and spent it cleaning out the closet and even re-doing our walk in to maximize all of our space.  Space is minimal, so the little we have - I have to really make the most of... My goal is to make our home a "home" and that when we walk through the door, the feelings of comfort, peace and happiness rush to us and not the feeling of clutter, stress and a list of to-dos that we can never get to. I hope to de-clutter in 2011. Decluttering of material possessions will inevitably help me declutter my mind too.

So with great intentions in mind, I began to work on our walk in closet... I have some pictures below. I ended up donating about 3-4 large trash bags of clothes (some pretty new) to the Good Will. I feel i still have much left to do, but even this small dent in our decluttering goal has left me with a sense of accomplishment.

Here are some before and afters of our walk in closet... I did this all by myself. Just me, myself and my handy dandy power drill...

Before

Here is one side of the closet... you can see how much space wasn't being used well.

I removed the existing shelving that was done with some pretty shoddy handiwork, especially for a brand new condo

After

Note that I extended the shelf to hit the ceiling, so all of the Husband's clothes hangs there b/c he can reach that extra height. His shirts and pants are also much longer than mine, so now they don't drag or hit the shelf below it.

I used a shoe holder to house some scarves and the little bit of shelf space above the clothes is for some big bags.

I used some of the spaces for my shoes. Although not all of my shoes are visible here, when you have a few pairs to deal with, seeing them helps to make sure they get worn.

And while I was motivated, I actually made a built-in closet of sorts in the bedroom for a very cheap price. I simply used some line wiring and curtains to hide the clothes and shelves behind it.


So what do you think? Have you done any home improvements lately? Even the slightest things that maybe only you can notice, can help release tension and create a more peaceful environment. What's your zen tips?

2011 Birthday Recap

As a very loved and fortunate gal, the Husband was brilliant in showering me with the best gift yet - quality time traveling together and making great memories. This particular trip we went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and had an amazing time seeing some ol' friends, making some new ones and visiting with family...

The lovely weekend started off with a wonderful breakfast at Grampa's Bakery (also seen on Diners, Drive In's and Dives)

where we had delicious food.


with our fave family who lives in the area. 

The parents of one of our very close friends, who has always been like family since the day we've met!

After a fabulous breakfast, we made it over to another friend's family home in Harbor Beach... talk about a great vacation home... and although it was cloudy and a bit misty, we decided to enjoy the not snowy weather with some delicious mojitos that my gal pal made!

It's a nice thing to have a view of the water, but i have to say, staring at WOW all day was something I could definitely do!

my pals checking the water temp, with WOW behind them

 For dinner we went to this amazing place called Mario's Cantina... read the reviews they are all true, the food is amazing!

appetizer plate that had empanadas, tamales, pulled beef, pork and chicken with the fried plantains.

 My beautiful Birthday dinner...

Red Snapper, with Jump Shrimp in a Lobster sauce. Drool!

 and of course, nothing makes a birthday dinner complete without birthday dessert!

A nice group shot!

The next day was sunny and bright, so we took the boat out...

Stopped and had lunch at the Bahia Cabana. Here's a fun group shot with the Blue's Brothers.

We sailed by some beautiful homes...

Scottie Pippen's house... WOWSERS!

 Some iguanas just chillin'

And we saw some gorgeous boats... 

Then we had another amazing dinner, this time to celebrate my best pal's birthday!

Group shot from dinner! Stuffed!

 The last day we were there, we took the boat one more time... and went to the Southport Raw Bar... delicious, super cheap and great fresh seafood.

A shot of the gals!

The hubby and I!

 And a beautiful shot of where we had our Valentine's day lunch before leaving...

All in all, i'd have to say it was pretty amazing. We had great food, amazing friends and family and just an amazing time experiencing something new. We stuffed ourselves silly with delicious food, silly laughs, and great times!

{Sponsor Highlight} MagnetStreet Weddings

As y'all know. I'm a huge fan of MagnetStreet Weddings Invitations... We not only used them for our awesome magnetic Save the Dates completely customized for us...

Wedding Colors: Gray, soft yellow and navy accents.

And our beautiful wedding invitations, completely customized to every period and comma.

We even had a map customized that they worked with me on. Spacing issues were dealt with as well as every tiny design detail.

So, Yes, I do love MagnetStreet Weddings but I just need to highlight them again, since it's almost been a year since our big day... and they are the first sponsor of the Relentless Bride Blog but so much has evolved in their product lines and ability, but the quality has always remained perfect.

I'm a big fan of magnetic items ... i collect magnets, but there are so much more to MagnetStreet Weddings than just magnets...

As you can see in the Save the Dates below, its completely customizable from colors and images to font and design details. 

And of course they not only have great Save the Dates, they have great invitations... such as these awesome pocket invitations.

If red, black and white aren't your colors, you can change the accent colors, the background color, the paper colors... all to be perfectly unique to your event.

Other beautiful invitation sets also include escort cards, RSVP cards and envelopes, labels and much more

Everything MagnetStreet Weddings offers is quality. And with the prices reasonable, it can fit any budget... do you need to see some samples? Click here to have them send you their products.

And what I find really cool... MagnetStreet can handle any event, before and beyond your wedding event... under Life's Moments - which include baby announcements, baby shower invitations and much much more.

So be sure to check back into MagnetStreet to see Weddings, Life moments (birthday invites, baby invites and much much more)

Weekly Scoop

♥PUPPY LOVE♥

Anybody who knows me, knows i love my pups. And if we could have, we would have had them join us in CA, but we knew it'd be way too much for them to handle. So for the love of our pups, we left them in good hands with a friend of ours at home... but for others who really want to have their "best friend(s)" be in the wedding, here are some tips on dog-friendly weddings courtesy of The Bark:

♥Treat pups as more than accessories. As cute as they are, especially in flowers and bow ties, dogs are members of the family and deserve the same attention and consideration.
♥Find the right job for your pup. Not all dogs will blossom as flower pups or carry on as ring bearers — find that perfect role and train for success!
♥Recruit dog-loving pros for your team — especially the photographer, officiant and planner.
♥Exercise restraint and compassion in accessorizing your dog. Strive for comfort, practicality and safety.
♥Appoint a designated dog wrangler. Take the pressure off everyone by asking a dog-loving friend or relative (better yet, hire a dog sitter), who can oversee “dog duties” and allow you and your guests to relax.
♥Have a backup plan. A good back-up plan should include a place for your dog to escape the hustle and bustle, such as a room, a pen or even a crate, and/or someone to take him home, if needed.
♥Consider eloping — with the dogs. Small, informal, outdoor weddings are a great fit for even the shyest dogs.

Read More at The Bark - woof woof!

♥♥♥While love is surely in the air today, Kaboodle.com, the ultimate platform for connecting people with products and the largest social shopping site on the Web, has launched their popular Dream Wedding Essentials Channel again.

In addition to providing inspiration for everything from rings, gowns, hair, cakes, favors and decorations, Kaboodle's powerful shopping tools supply utility and add a social layer to the planning process by allowing brides to:
· Create and share lists (of their wedding must-haves and lust-haves)
· Build and organize universal registries
· Mash up looks with styleboards
· Engage with the rest of the community through blog posts and “Help Me Choose” polls (example below)

♥♥♥ A Chic Affair, the metro area’s definitive boutique luxury consumer event for the modern bride, will take place Sunday, March 13, 2011 at The Historical Society of Washington, D.C, from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Participants in this year’s event already include such sought after resources as Bloomingdales, Brides Washington Magazine, Brides.com, Chevy Chase Bridal, Maggie Austin Cake, Georgetown Cupcake, and The Dandelion Patch. The “State of The Union” expert conversation series will include Project Runway Season 4 Winner Christian Siriano as well as Editorial Staff from Conde Nast Bridal Media and others.

The event begins at 11:00 am at The Historical Society of Washington D.C, March 13, 2011. For more information visit http://www.achicaffairdc.com/ . Tickets are available through the website or by calling 202-719-8086 and are $35. Prepare for a feast of the senses as you see, taste, touch and hear everything needed to create your own chic affair.

Health: Fibroid & Cyst {Surgery}

So to bring this chapter of my life, hopefully to a close, I wanted to discuss the two procedures I had and what we found. If you want to read up on the previous posts, Symptoms, Surgery consultation, Chemical Pregnancy, and an explanation of Fibroids v. Cysts pertaining to my specific situation.

Before I go further, I am not a Dr. and many of the links below are just what i found doing research on the internet on my own. Please don't take any of my experience as medical professional advice, suggestions, or statements.

Fibroid

My diagnosis was that i had a Pedunculated Fibroid which is a Fibroid that is on a stalk. The biggest concern with these types of Fibroids is that the stalk becomes twisted causing severe pain. The particular type of fibroid I had was a Submucous Fibroid which grows in the submucosal lining of the uterus (Click here to see an image of my Fibroid) - between the inner layer of uterus and endometrial cavity.

So at the end of the day, i had a Pedunculated Submucous Fibroid (Pedunculated Submucosal Fibroid) for which I had a hysteroscopic resection also referred to as a hysterocopic myomectomy. I did not have uterine artery embolization - which basically goes through an artery in your groin area to stop the blood flow to the fibroid, thereby killing it. The Pedunculated Submucosal Fibroid was about an inch big, which I guess is not huge but the Dr. Labeled it "Large Fibroid" (See an image of the resected area of the fibroid here) and was causing bleeding, clotting, spotting but no pain oddly.

The procedure went very smoothly and didn't take too long. The Dr. Left a Catheter in the uterus lining to ensure proper healing of the lining and i also got a nice shot of Estrogen before leaving the hospital. The Estrogen was given to help the uterine lining. After a week (it wasn't too comfy, i'll be honest), the 18 inch catheter tube was finally removed. During this time, I was taking Doxycycline 2x a day and advil (3 pills) every 6 hours. Needless to say, the doxycycline kills all bacteria - good and bad, so probiotics and another prescription was necessary.

Cyst

I also had a 3+ inch Dermoid Cyst that was attached to my right ovary (First image of the ovary/cyst bottom right photo). If you look here, you can see how big the Cyst was. Initially I thought that the Cyst was the ovary, but the Cyst was actually enveloping the Ovary and when you compare with how much of the Left ovary you see, you can compare the sizes of what is normal and what is not normal! (Especially the bottom left image, where its a glimpse of the left ovary and the right one is GINORMOUS comparatively.) And if you look at the after images (here), you can see the end result, the ovaries look more similar in size. The Dr. also places interceed to prevent adhesion in the healing process.

While I was hoping after the surgery I could exclaim "VAGINA DENTATA", I am not 100% sure that there was a tooth in the mass, but there was "something solid" in "there". However, you can see something here - upper right photo, be warned these are a little more graphic. These photos (here) show the cyst being detached from the ovary, in essence the ovary is being kinda opened, the cyst detached and the ovary put back together again. And again, the end result is here in these images.

With this surgery, a laparoscopic cyst removal, (also referred to as laproscopic cyst removal or laparoscopy removal of cyst) the Dr. made four incisions. One on the south side of my belly button, three under the bikini line. Very small, with a steristrip over them to help the healing. There was a little soreness, but really nothing too excessive. I showered the next day and took the gauze off a week later although I could have removed them sooner. During my post-op on Wednesday, the Dr. said i was healing "beautifully."

All in all, I went into surgery around 12:30 and came to about 1:55pm for both procedures. I was a little nauseous I won't lie and the urge to throw up was there, but i couldn't really do that. I couldn't drink more than water initially. We were home before 5pm at which point, i was still nauseous, but the urge to pee was overwhelming. I knew that it was "in my head" but imagine that intense pressure you get when you are driving down a highway and there is nowhere to go so you're holding it for like 30 minutes and it builds and builds. I had that for about 2 hours and no matter if I could pee, the pressure was still there.

The problem with this was that i was too nauseous to drink or eat anything, so I coudn't pee and didn't have to but felt like i did. But once I finally got some more fluids in me, the sensation subsided and I felt like i could live again. I was able to keep some soup down and then it was all good.

Mentally, knowing the catheter was in my uterus and feeling the pressure of it (probably all in my head), made the week a little annoying. But it definitely was good i had the week off and having my mom come was a luxury. It was not necessary, but it definitely made things easier for me.

Overall, it was pretty smooth sailing. The post-op went well and I'm ok'd to resume ALL normal activity as long as my body feels ok. So to get back to that treadmill!!!

Hopefully this will be informative for others out there who experience something similar. Having a good Dr. is key to a successful surgery and recovery. I am blessed that from finding the fibroid/cyst (Jan 6 to February 16 - although, i really was pretty good after catheter removal on Feb. 2 and went back to the gym for a light workout on February 9) to surgery and recovery, it really was about a one month ordeal.

Gender Reveal Party

So when it comes to babies, many of the first questions a mom will face is "do you know if the baby is a boy or a girl?" or "do you plan to find out or let it be a surprise?"

Along that line, the newest trend which I'm loving... A gender Reveal Party. i was only enlightened that such a thing exists when I stumbled upon my amazing wedding planner and coordinator extraordinairre's (she planned and executed this amazing celebration, yes our wedding!) Paola (Just Chic Events) own video clip of her gender reveal party. (with her permission of course)


This is such a neat idea. Basically, the gender of a baby is written on a piece of paper in an envelope. The envelope is then given to the baker of the cake. The baker will then bake the cake itself in pink or blue - and then the icing will hide the cake color. When the couple cuts the first slice, the color of the cake reveals the gender.

I know that others have done this as well and making it more fun, The Week shares some ideas where some people have their guests where the colors of their predictions, others take a vote at the party prior to the reveal. And while not all people want to share this special moment with friends or family, i can see how wanting to share the excitement would be natural.

What a fun way to find out...Have any of you been to a gender reveal party or are thinking about doing it yourself? I think its such a cute idea, but would have to consider the bi-coastal families into that equation! any suggestions on how to handle families that live a distance away when trying to do a party like this?

Valentine's Day Post

In honor of Valentine's Day, a day I don't celebrate really... I will still write a post about love.

♥Love is... when your husband loses his wedding ring and you calmly and sincerely tell him that it's ok b/c that does not change a single thing.
♥Love is... when your husband is truly devastated that the ring is missing, not b/c of its monetary value but because of its sentimental value.
♥Love is... laughing when your husband finds his ring...and almost pissing yourself laughing when you realize where he found it.

On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 12:50 PM, Husband wrote: OMG i lost my ring...i just looked down and it wasn't on my hand

Then a frantic call that he searched our condo high and low, he can't find it at home. He ran back to work scouring the sidewalks as he went to see if he could spot it. He was frantic. Where could it have gone? He searched high and low at work, near his seat/desk, the walls, he had co-workers helping him. He searched the trash can in the men's restroom (barf). He could not find it.
On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 1:39 PM, husband wrote: I never take it off. I even dug through bathroom garbage at work

On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 1:52 PM, Husband wrote:  i've searched everywhere...multiple people helping look too. [front desk in our condo] said she is putting a sign up by mailboxes in our building and will call me if anyone finds it

Because I am a rational person (LOL, the recent gifts of love helped - i won't lie), I reassured him
On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 1:45 PM, AmyJean wrote: Don't freak out. its just a ring. We can get you a new one no problem...Until then, I may force you to wear a foil ring

The Husband was still devastated.
On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 1:56 PM, husband wrote: i'm really freaked out :(

I asked him why? what changes aside from losing a piece of metal... we're still the same regardless!

On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 1:58 PM, husband wrote: but that ring means a lot to me ...never thought i'd freak out over jewelry

and with more apologies.
On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 2:16 PM, husband wrote: i'm so sorry baby

to which I responded that i was just glad it was him and not me, and that I understand why he was devastated but that I was not mad. In fact, I figured him losing his ring was bound to happen.

He blamed Weight Watchers b/c he has lost 11.4 lbs in 5 weeks (ugh and yay for him!) and said his fingers were really skinny. He also said not only has his fingers lost weight but the cold weather also makes his fingers thinner. Dang Weight Watchers! LOL

On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 3:11 PM, Husband wrote: i feel naked honestly

So I tried to talk him down from the ledge. I told him not too worry, either we'll find it in like the bed under a pillow or someone may find it and worst case, we buy him a new one. He was still sad. He posted an ad on Craigslist lost and found section, he posted on our building's listserve and just kept emailing throughout the day about hoping to find it. I went home, walked the dogs - looked around our condo. Emptied his pants and something fell out.... A quarter!

I walked our usual path and the areas he said he was earlier that morning and searched the dirt for anything that may reflect a shine. Nothing.

The Husband came home. We hugged and he told me how sad he was and how sorry he was. I laughed and told him not to worry. I went through my jewelry box and found a yellow gold band I had from my sweet 16. It fit him but he just pouted. He didn't want to wear any ring but the one he had. He looked near tears truth be told and i was surprised by his emotion and happy at the same time!

So i said, well let's retrace your steps, from last night until today... b/c are you sure you had it on today? So while I started searching our couch and looking on the living room floor, the Husband replays out his lunch at home.

"First, I got my toast from the refridgerator and put it in the toaster. I grabbed the mayo and can of tuna from the cabinets. Then i got my cheese from the drawer and.... I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Well wouldn't you know... the Husband's ring must have fallen off when he was closing the bag of deli cheese and putting it back into the cheese drawer in the Refridgerator. Yes, as CHEESY as it sounds, my husband lost his ring in a bag of cheese (lol)

So we had a good laugh, actually i almost pissed myself... called off the dogs and he was so relieved.

Husband still blames Weight Watchers: "if i hadn't been on WW, I wouldn't have come home to make my lunch - so its still WW's fault!"

♥Love is keeping your cool when you may want to be upset.
♥Love is encouraging your partner when s/he is upset.
♥Love is trying to make your partner laugh when s/he is upset.
♥Love is working alongside your partner in any of their efforts (even looking for a ring!).
♥Love is holding your partner to show you love.
♥Love is laughing with your partner when sometimes things just don't seem laughable.
♥Love is laughing with your partner when things are truly laughable.
♥Love is saying that when all material things are stripped of you, no matter what, nothing can take love away.
♥Love is tieing thread around your husband's ring to help it from slipping off again until you can get it resized.

♥Love is not just about a day of flowers, chocolates, hearts and stuffed animals... it's about two people and what they mean to one another despite all the flowers, chocolates, hearts and stuffed animals!

♥♥♥Happy Valentine's Day to my Wonderful Husband, you absolutely thrill me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes! Thank you for being you! ♥♥♥

♥Happy Valentine's Day y'all... I hope you are spending this day in the way you most feel loved! ♥

It's my birthday WOO!!!

and to show you how I really feel about this... a picture from my childhood.

As Garth brooks sings "I'm much too young to feel this damned old"


or a new version of it by Me First and the gimme gimmes


Happy birthday to me y'all... hope your weekend is amazing!

Winners of "How I planned Your Wedding" Book Giveaway

And now... to announce the winner of this great book "How I Planned Your Wedding" by mother and daughter team Susan Wiggs and Elizabeth Wiggs Maas

The winners are:

JudyLynn

Amy

Melanie

Please email me at amyjean@relentlessbride.com so i can put you in touch to have your book delivered to you ASAP!

Weekly Scoop

♥♥Check out Runway Rundown's annual 'Wedding Week' on my fashion blog right now: from the Avante Garde bride to the Princess Bride, The Runway Rundown highlights some wedding fashion!

♥♥Want an interesting way to have your friends save the diet, check out what Delack Media Group is doing with this 2011 Chicago Wedding...


Read the complete blog post on our shoot:

♥♥In celebration of The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort being ranked the 2011 #1 Honeymoon Resort in the World, LUXGetaway is giving away 20LUXGetaway limited edition premium T-shirts, 20 The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort golf caps, and 20 The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort Beach Bags to site visitors at random that send an email to info@luxgetaway.com. Entries must include the following:
· Email Subject Line: “I Want to Win LUX!”
· First & Last name
· Address
· Email Address
· If you visited The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, what feature you would enjoy most?

Entries will be accepted until February 28th and winners will be contacted on March 1st.
Link: http://luxgetaway.com/2011/02/08/the-st-regis-bora-bora-rated-2011-1-honeymoon-resort-in-the-world-by-luxgetaway/


♥♥TLC Shows this week
Say Yes to the Dress at 9/8c: Jesyca is a size 12 and wants a dress that is flattering and mature. Tired of being the baby in the family, Duvae wants a dress that makes her look sophisticated and grown up. Sara had a surprise proposal at Kleinfeld's and now she's back for the fitting.

Four Weddings at 10./9c: Tulisa's garden nuptials leave her guests in peaceful tranquility while retro-bride Crystal's rockabilly beach party has guests twisting the night away. Erica is splurging on fine wine, but Alli's dying for chicken fingers and French fries.

Budget Friendly Valentine's Day

Yesterday, I read on one of my new fave blogs: And Then She Saved on "How to be a Cheap Valentine without being a Cheap Valentine" and thought i'd share this great post with my readers!

The husband and I don't "do Valentine's day"... It has never been one of the holidays I was into. Maybe b/c it was so close to my birthday? Or maybe all the chocolate hearts and overpriced flowers just started to lose meaning to me.

Sidenote: I won't lie. I am a bargain shopper. While I like my nice things, I love a great deal. And Sometimes, the time spent on finding the great deal is definitely not worth it to some - for me, its the hunt. The bargain. The knowledge that I purchased something cheaper than what I initially would have paid makes me excited and happy. Yes I know ... I'm lame! 

So the idea of spending too much money on something that on any other day is cheaper, seems bizzarro to me. But that is me. And i don't mock or judge anyone else if they do things different. One of my best gals is in love with Valentine's Day. Her favorite holiday. Her favorite color is Red. She loves chocolate. She loves this day. And while i think its a dumb day (sorry, but the truth be told), i think its really cute that she is so enamored with it. So i can appreciate the importance of the day to many.

So the post by Anna from And Then She Saved Blog was really good. Not only are we trying to implement our own spending diet strategy (see her post about that here) but since I don't like the idea of overpaying for something, especially on a holiday i don't quite appreciate - her suggestions appealed to me.

Specifically (all taken from "How to be a Cheap Valentine without being a Cheap Valentine" Post)!
■Cook a romantic dinner using pre-existing ingredients from your cupboards
■Make your Valentine breakfast- again using ingredients or mainly ingredients you already have
■Make 365 reasons why you love them and give them 1 a day for the whole year
■Have a movie marathon and make ice cream sundaes with all the fixin's
■Clean the entire house for them
■Make homemade chocolate-covered strawberries: 1) Melt a package of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler and add a small amount of oil 2) Remove from heat and quickly dip the strawberries into the chocolate 3) Place on wax paper and refrigerate for several hours until chocolate is firm
■If you're hitched: read your wedding vows to each other/watch your wedding video/look at your wedding album
■Compliment them when others are around
■Decide to give them an ongoing Valentine gift. This is where you do a little nice thing for them each day for an extended period of time. For example: listening intently, picking up a piece of candy for them, do something unexpected for them, give them your full attention when they talk, forgive quickly, add something they like to the grocery list and surprise them with it. Tell them what you're up to or not. They might be shocked by the extreme niceness you're dishing out. This will make them feel loved and appreciated which is the goal of Valentine's Day if you ask me.

and while a few of those ideas probably would take more time, i think could be used for next Valentine's day or even for a Christmas gift - like the give 365 reasons on a calendar. that is cute. but many of the ideas I really liked were good ideas of things to do daily - compliment them when others are around, do nice things for them, focus on them when they talk and all that gushy niceness.

After reading and figuring out our "Love languages", I know that doing the little things and saying kinds words really relay to the husband how much I do love him ... and also helps me remember on a moment to moment basis of how lucky I am....

So what are some ways that you are making the Valentine's Day holiday special for you ... and you don't have to be "in a relationship" to make the day fun and meaningful? 

Read more great ideas of budget friendly Valentine's Day suggestions in the rest of Anna's Post: "How to be a Cheap Valentine without being a Cheap Valentine"

"How I Planned Your Wedding" Book Giveaway

I recently read the book HOW I PLANNED YOUR WEDDING by Susan Wiggs and her daughter, Elizabeth Wiggs Maas about a completely relatable story of a mother and daughter planning the daughter's wedding. From the very first sentence, i was entertained. Both writers have such distinct voices, yet combine to make a story that any woman can see themselves in similar situations. Sure, while my mom was not 150% involved in all my planning, I could still relate to the mother's narrative because now that I'm a wife, and hopefully one day a mother - my next role in a wedding will be the glamorous but not too overly done Mother of the Bride.
Since I love weddings and all things truly sappy and about love (in any form), I just enjoyed the book thoroughly and am so happy to say that I get to give three of my readers the same opportunity to read this all too entertaining, hysterically funny and just downright touching story between a mother and daughter and wedding planning!

All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog, and if you have a funny or memorable moment from your own wedding planning OR a fear of what wedding planning may do to you and your mom's relationship, pleae share ! Make sure to leave your contact info, so that if you win i can let you know!


And if you tweet about it, leave a comment too - that'll give you an extra entry !!!

Contest will end Next Thursday on February 10, 2011 (11:59PM EST) and I'll announce a winner on Friday! Just in time to get y'all pumped for the upcoming wedding season!

Here's the blurb:
The All-True Story of a Mother and Daughter Surviving the Happiest Day of Their Lives

A picture of Susan Wiggs and Elizabeth Wiggs Maas

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs and her daughter collaborate on a funny, charming, and poignant book about the trials and tribulations of planning the daughter’s wedding together. Combining the narrative talents of two gifted writers with invaluable practical advice, this book is both an entertaining read and a must-have resource for any mother or daughter in the throes of wedding planning.

Official Website www.HowIPlannedYourWedding.com

Rambling Random News

Yay, it's wednesday...middle of the week and another day closer to a special birthday weekend in Fort Lauderdale with one of my best gal pals (who also celebrates a February Birthday!)

I'm very excited. Health News: Since the surgery, i've rapidly recovered. The stitches are healing nicely and I feel good. On the Fitness News, I am back to the gym (walking and elliptical), waiting on yoga for another week or two and back on my Weight Watchers.

My Weight Watchers News: The husband and I started on January 5, 2011. I didn't diet the week of surgery. So i was down 5lbs before surgery, back up - so total loss after surgery was 2.8 lbs. Back on starting last Wednesday and I lost another 1.4 lbs (although on sunday it would have been 3lbs lost)... with a total loss of 4.2lbs.  The husband is down 11.4 lbs and I want to beat him with a stick. I get 29 points, he gets 41 points. He struggles to get all his points in at night and I want to drown myself in a bucket of chocolate. I mean, i'm proud of him... but man oh man. It's frustrating. And I know that men lose easier than woman, but i'm AT the gym. I eat less. and he's losing as easily as he breathes. Last week his weigh in - the computer said "consult a dr. you are losing too quickly!" AHHHH... anyways, I'm down for the week - i should be happy. i mean I am happy.

PS. add me if you are on WW - my online is ajcf1036 - i can use the support!

Home Decorating News: For my birthday, my parents have bought us a new bed. So in anticipation of this, I sold our bedframe on Craigslist and it sold so quickly that we are now...  sleeping on our mattress on the floor!

 so now we find them both on the bed all day long... (the top sheet is our dog sheet, and we fold up our comforter to avoid the massive amounts of hair we get!)

Good news is, we should be getting our bed soon - but who knows how long it will take.

I heard some disturbing and sad news the other day about a man who intentionally jumped out of our building and killed himself. Very disturbing to hear in general, but to know it was someone staying in our condo building, someone who i may not have even noticed wasn't feeling emotionally well ... just gave me pause to thank GOD for the life I have and to remind myself that at any moment, someone's life can end - intentional or not... and due to that, we need to make every effort to enjoy each moment and to not let anger or unhappiness interfere with the way we live our lives or treat others; strangers included.

And to end on a lighter note, so that i'm not ending the post to morbidly...
some funny news: my mom recently gave me these foot pads. They are like socks, except they don't have the foot part and only cover your heel. It's for dry cracked heels to help prevent splitting and ...well, dryness. The packaging is in Korean ... and of course aside from a few grammatical errors and misspellings... note the second line in English!

 AS WORN FOR DRY HORNY HEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buahahahahaha... ^.^

I thought that was hysterical so wanted to share.
Entertaining News: If you like Flight of the Concords and love dogs, here's a funny video clip



I hope your Wednesday is happy. I hope your week is meaningful... and I hope that this week, you do one conscious effort of kindness... maybe even to someone who may not deserve it!

An Early Present

Spoiler Alert: This post is very husband-bragging heavy. I gloat, I'm giddy and i can't tell you how wonderful my husband is with just words, but i try!!!

So, not only do I have a birthday coming up soon... but in a month, the amazing Husband and I celebrate our first anniversary of being married. It's amazing how quickly time flies and we are so excited for our trip to Las Vegas - where we had our Mini-moon after the wedding! {we ♥ LV}

It was a big deal for us now to set the precedent that we take the time to travel together to celebrate this date. So big of a deal that we opted out of buying Christmas gifts for one another so we could ensure we'd have the funds for our anniversary trip. Travel is important to us and sometimes the only way we can see our families, so while we do spend a lot of money on travel - it is a priority and we do our best to plan ahead to make sure certain events can happen.

So last night, while i was about 45 minutes into ironing the wonderful husband's work clothes, I heard him come rustling through the door. he said "are you here?" and i responded. He said "stay in the bedroom". Now i knew he had gone out to get my birthday gift - it's kinda hard for either one of us to do anything without the other knowing - so him coming home with a gift wasn't a surprise.... the surprise was this:


The enlarged image makes it blurry, but yes - that's a Huge Louis Vuitton shopping bag!

I had been telling my gorgeous and brilliant husband that i "needed" a new tote bag. Not just for work but for travel as well. I've been using this great huge beach bag lately just b/c i carry so much stuff - and having a nicer bag would be a bit more professional and of course, I'd look snazzier. I had looked around and initially thought I wanted a nice bag, maybe made of leather - but I quickly realized a tote bag is for "tote"ing things around. The lighter the bag, the less it adds to all the weight you are adding to the bag. So I realized, a canvas tote bag would be perfect for work. for travel. and for anything else that may come along in the future... the material is lighter than leather, more durable for wet weather or various elements, and versatile for travel and work.

So tada... welcome to our family... Neverfull GM. 

excuse the picture, i used my phone in my excitement.

I'm so happy to have you around... the best birthday/anniversary gift that has arrived early from my beloved Husband. My love tank is over flowing and our trip to FL and LV with my new LV will be very fun!! We ♥ LV (both Las Vegas and Louis Vuitton)!

But now the pressure is on... What to buy my amazingly genius, tasteful, brilliant and oh so lovable husband for our anniversary? Ideas anyone?

Gray Yellow & Navy Wedding Inspiration Board

Another inspiration board from our wedding... i'm loving this mosaic Site!