I can’t believe I’m even going to say this, but… seven years ago today, the wonderfully talented [and humble and sweet and loving and generous.... and more] Josh Auer asked me to be his wife.

He took me to Huntington Beach, where we parked out on a large stretch of empty sand just the two of us, his guitar and a blanket. He played me a song he wrote for me- the first song he’d ever written. Ever. For the wife of a now-full-time songwriter, it’s pretty unbelievable! Then he got down on his knee, and proposed. At 21 years old, I didn’t have a doubt in the world. And I never have!

Five months later we tied the knot in a wonderful whirlwind full of love [and, admittedly, chaos]. I’m so thankful that he “knew” enough to ask me to be his wife. I’m thankful for our story, and for who we’ve become together. Not everyone can survive being married and still having to grow up together- as man and wife. But we can, we did, we are, we have, and we’re going to!

Here’s one of our engagement photos, taken by a college friend of mine [now a high school photography teacher], Jette Via:

And just for fun, one from our first married Christmas [just a few months later]:

Never forget to celebrate the little things- and never forget the importance of your story! Becoming an “us” is one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in my life! And I’m in love with each day that I get to wake up as a wife of the man I love. Truly an honor!!

xoxo,

A.

Oh HELLO! Shannon here, just now getting on board here at the In The Now Blog. Took long enough, right?! I’m so excited to begin sharing more about myself, my upcoming August wedding, and all the great things going on at In The Now. I’ve been interning for In The Now since November, so i’m the baby of the group for sure! Let me bring you into my world for a minute with a random rundown! …and by random, I mean raaahh-nnndom.

1. KITTIES and TALKING ANIMALS. I love kitties, kittens, cats, felines, meow? Growing up my best friends were my two kitties, Smokey and Whitey (who wasn’t really that white, now that i think about it.) We just get along, cats and I. Will that make me a crazy old cat lady with a big hat? OH I HOPE SO. Related to kittens, I have a strange fascination with talking animals. They crack me up. I can’t get enough of em – movies, commercials, youtube videos… ok i’ll stop.

2. COFFEE. I love coffee. Its hard to start a day without a cup. Typical drink for me? Americano, one splenda. Iced or Hot, depends on the weather. No foofy drinks for me. I used to work at Starbucks where i swear they implant a chip in you that makes you addicted. Add living in rainy Seattle where life revolves around cafes and coffee shops and you get me. While Starbucks’ americano’s are predictably great, I do love non-chain coffee shops, and prefer them especially Dagney’s [Bakersfield], Bauhaus & Uptown Coffee [Seattle].

3. DESIGN. I have been a self-proclaimed graphic designer, interior designer, photographer and artist since I can remember. I taught myself how to use all the Adobe programs and use them on a daily basis. I’m currently working on designing and assembling the look and feel of our wedding invitations [mailing next week!], our blog, and day of graphical goodies. I think this is what i love most about weddings – the creative and effective design that infiltrates every aspect! [Need designs? TOTALLY :)] My family is also artistically inclined, as my father is a landscape architect [who can draw like no-one's business] and my mother is just creative in everything, everything. You should see their home. :) I am also known to sit online and look at photos, save them, and get inspired for HOURS upon HOURS.

4. FOOD. I do like food. Besides coffee, i am most known to love beans, pretzels, chinese chicken salads and red candies. I hate LEMON ANYTHING. Growing up basically in a citrus orchard [The Ranch], hating lemons as shunned me from my families love of lemon meringue pie and lemon-aid. I don’t like avocados either. Double whammy against The Ranch. Sorry Grandma and Grandpa.

5. MUSIC. I consider myself a music enthusiast as I am totally into all different types of music and probably listen to it for most of the day. I grew up listening to Christian music, yup, I loved the Newsboys. I’m not afraid to admit it as it brought me to where I am today! But thankfully, I have branched out from my sheltered ways and “saw the light” as Scott says. Lately, I’ve been jamming to the new mewithoutYou and Ben Kweller [both of who we are seeing soon!], and as always – Minus The Bear, Sebastien Grainger, The Strokes, and Ryan Adams among others. Who are you listening to right now?

6. SUNFLOWERS. Favorite flower ever. EVER! My grandmother used to have sunflowers all over her house, so I guess my love of the pretty flowers came from her. Something about them is so fresh and clean. Be warned, they’ll be ALL over my wedding, as well as in my apartment and even tattooed on my foot. Yeah, i like sunflowers. I also just love all other flowers too. I’m not totally biased. Peonies? COME ON.

7. MOVIES & SHOWS. My favorite film of all time is That Thing You Do. I remember seeing it for the first time back in like 5th grade, buying the soundtrack and falling in love with all the characters. It’s such a quotable movie and so easy to use in everyday conversation. My favorite TV show has to be Arrested Development. Scott and I have Arrested Development Thursdays, want to join? Done with the seasons? WATCH IT OVER AGAIN! I also love Dexter, The Office, HOUSE, and any trash on Bravo [weakness!].

8. HAIR. I am a proud un-natural redhead of 3 years. Thanks to the greatest Angi Bane [who also does Amanda's mermaid hair], my red hair has become a sort of trademark of sorts that is always out of control. Naturally, I am a dirty dark blonde, but that girl hasn’t been around since age 16. From that I went to dark brown, to black, to red, to dark brown, to the present red-ness.

9. FAMILY. I have the greatest family. They are my rock and have always been there for me through every phase of my crazy life. What I love most about them is their love and support for each other as well as their solid faith in Christ. They’re also really funny. Like really funny. What’s also incredible is that they love my fiance, Scott, so much that seeing me isn’t enough. “Where’s Scott? Why didn’t you bring him?” is commonly asked of me, and I love it.

10. SCOTT. I’ve mentioned him a few times, but this man is my best friend and future husband. Never have I met a more funny, talented, grounded, bearded, strong, and all around amazing guy… and he’s all mine! We met through a mutual friend back in 2007 and he just swept me off my feet soon afterwards. I mean, he moved all the way to Seattle for me! We will be getting married on August 21, 2009 at my grandparent’s ranch. Expect a blog series dedicated to our fabulous day, full of fun and In The Now goodness.

I hope you enjoyed my random [or not so random] rundown. Maybe it made you giggle a little? Hopefully! Expect more from me, especially with a citrus, apple colored, great orchard style wedding coming oh so soon. Take Care!

xoxo,
Shannon

Last night we worked a fabulous wedding that made me fall in love all over again. Josh has been gone since last Sunday and although it’s only been a week, it’s long enough to “make the heart grow fonder” ifyaknowwhaddimean. Working last night was magical. Pretty much, they all are. I’m so thankful to everyone in my life who has been involved in making this dream a career.

This is what I call “work”:

And I am so thankful.

The girls and I have BIG decisions in our future! Tonight we’re getting together to decide the new NOW interns and we’re SO excited to be narrowing it down. So blessed, so blessed. Hope you’re having a weekend full of stopping to smell the roses in all areas of your life!

xoxo,

A.

Aloha! Bonjour! Ciao! Hi! I am proud to say that I am the newest team member to become a regular blogger.  My name is Brittany [in case you didn’t catch that above picture with my name on it] and I’ve been with Amanda for one year and 4 months…but who’s counting?  I revolve my life around weddings and weddings only.  Basically I’m a totally romantic and a little bit of a nerd whenever I hear the word “wedding”.  I have yet to experience my own special day, as they call it, because I’ve been told you have to find “the one” first.  So if anyone knows where I can find this one, let me know!

I thought instead of blogging a novel about my life, I’d just make a list of ten random things about me…if I have ten.  I’m sure I can find something that will intrigue you.  I am known for my Jedi master-mind tricks! 

1.  I am a TOTAL sweet tooth.  Now you might think, ok she likes eating dessert every night, or has a stash of See’s Candies in her nightstand.  Ha, I laugh…that would be what I consider an amateur sweet tooth.  Actually I don’t even know if I’d be able to classify someone who did that as a sweet tooth.  It takes years of skill to create the prefect pallet in order to reach the sweet tooth hall-o-fame!  And yes, I have succeeded in this training process.  Now being a sweet tooth is a hard role, because there are SO many things that I just have to have, but have learned to control my urge and now go from 8 treats a day down to 4 treats a day.  I have stomach of steal when it comes to desserts.  I love them so much, I can, will, and have eaten cupcakes for breakfast more than once [no joke, it was 8AM].  So I’m sure you can guess that the first thing I ask a bride when meeting for the first time or assisting a wedding….when’s the cake cutting?

 2.  I have a thing for lions.  Not just any lions, male lions with bushy manes and a huge mouth when they yawn.  I don’t really know why this obsession occurred or when, but it might be because I am a Leo [summer birthdays are the best!]  I also have not one, but two male Golden Retrievers who look like they walked out of Africa.  I found out that lions sleep up to 20 hours a day and noticed my Golden’s do the same thing…what a life!  I even own a lion necklace.  I feel that I possess a liony energy and can be super mellow at times, then pounce when no one’s looking!  Kinda like my Jedi mind tricks.

3.  Pixar is my homeboy and we hangout any chance we get.  I am a kid at heart and just love watching little kid movies.  I own a lot and am not embarrassed to admit it [although my collection has scared away a few men….hmm, maybe that’s why I can’t find “the one”].  Anyways, I enjoy them and that’s all that matters.  The reciting of Pixar movies is my thing and I can pretty much sound like any character.  Not going to list every kid DVD I own, but a few are: Finding Nemo, Over The Hedge [not Pixar but still equally awesome], Wall-E, Monsters Inc, Ice Age 1&2, Cars, Ratatouille….see what I mean?

4.   How many nicknames can one female have?  I mean really, it’s insane!  I answer to the weirdest of names due to the nicknames I have been given in my life.  Responding to Nic has no significance to my name other than Nicole is my middle name and I NEVER use it.  It was until a friend of mine thought it would be easier to call me Nic because all of our names were Brittany spelled all different ways [there were 5 of us!]  Now I will answer to the following: Britt, Bee [B], B-rit, Nick, B.Fitch, Fitch….it’s retarded!  Oh and my last name is Fitch incase you were wondering where the Fitch came into place.

5.  My favorite hobby outside of weddings of course, is cooking.  I LOVE to cook anything and everything.  I am a pescitarian meaning do not eat meat but, allow myself to enjoy sushi, crab, shrimp, and fish; however I do enjoy cooking a prefect filet mignon with all the fixins.  Cooking/baking has always been a huge hobby of mine since I was a wee little one and now has blossomed into Top Chef status, if you know what I mean.  I don’t go one day without watching The Food Network channel and can watch it for hours.  My biggest attempt to date is to make veggie empanadas…check back in a few weeks!  I do have my pancakes down to a science though.  All I’m saying is I can make a mean pancake.

6.  Got powder?  I’m a freak for snowboarding and cannot get enough of it.  As far as sports go, this is my one and only.  Winter Olympics, Winter X-Games….bring it!  I’ve been snowboarding for 6 years and this has become my one love.  Fresh fallen untouched powder is such a sight; I go crazy whenever I think about it.  I buy a Big Bear pass every year for I go at least twice a week when the season comes.  At one time I was sponsored but I’m not going to get into that.  Writing ten random things about myself is enough attention for one month.

7.  I know I already stated my love for Pixar above, but I forgot to state my favorite genre of films.  I’m sure you will be surprised when I say that my all time fav is horror!  Yes I know I’m crazy, but I have this sick twisted love for horror films, old and new.  I’ve seen every horror movie you could possibly think of and own quite a few too.  I like to be scared and get my adrenaline going, especially when they’re based on a true story. 

8.  For the past 20 years I have been blonde.  My hair was as golden blonde as it could get and as a child I had white hair.  It wasn’t until two years ago I decided to do something drastic and dye my hair black, and loved it.  However, I have come to tone it down a little to dark brown.  But for two years everyone told me I looked like a complete different person.  Aside from loving my look and being different, the only downfall is when I go out and get carded…I was interrogated for what seemed like days.  I get asked the same things twice and still would have a hard time getting into places.  I never knew a color change would drastically change my look.  Now I just hand my ID and Credit Card at the same time because I know they’ll ask for another form of ID.

9.  I’m obsessed with flannels.  There I said it.  I heart flannels.  They are my kryptonite.  I have about every color of flannel you could think of and more than one person should own.  I wear them out, to bed, to lounge in, to work, to play, to the gym [haha I wish!]  But I have come to realize that my love for flannel shirts has become more of a stage 5 clinger thing; when I see one I cannot stop looking at it!  Their like a magnet.  That also goes for watches too.  You will never catch me without a watch on my left wrist for I feel so naked without one.  I can go without my phone for days, but a watch…HELL NO!  One time I drove all the way to work and noticed I forgot my watch and drove all the way home to get one.  I was late of course, but blamed it on traffic!

10.  I thought I’d end the last thing with something really stupid and random [hence the Random Rundown].  Since the 6^th grade I have known how to speak Double G.  Yes, it is a language and I am a pro speaker.  However, none of my friends now know how to speak it, but it stuck with me.  I can read the bible in Double G.  It’s not hard once you get the hang of it, but whenever I try to teach the language, it never works out.  I guess you just have to born with it!  All I can say is to learn how to speak Double G, put a D G after every syllable in a word [i.e. wedding= wed-id-get-ti-ging]  So simple right!

How boring am I?  I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I hope you had a few laughs along the way.  Like I said I am a dork and proud of it!  I am also proud to be blogging on a regular basis and hope to meet a few other dorks out there in the blogging world.  My autograph signing will be next month at the local “bucks” [aka=starbucks] starting a 5AM on June 32th….just kidding….

heart,

b.

But, in the past few months I’ve been moving more and more into full-time event design [first in my heart, now into reality], so in response to this new chapter [which is really just a bigger page of the same chapter], I’ve made a new custom package for event design only. It’s not on my website yet, but it WILL be! Promise! I’m SO excited, I thought I’d share it with ya:

If anyone is having trouble narrowing their vision down to ONE theme/feel/vibe, if you’re overwhelmed with misguided inspiration, or if the look you want simply doesn’t seem to match up right with your venue- give me a call! This is what I love doing. I LOVE a challenge, and I love an event! I think my favorite part about the idea of this package is that it can really be tailored to fit any venue, any event, any WHERE! I’d love to get to help people all over the world put together their events and make them a smash hit, for any budget.

I love you all. You’ll hear from me in the next day or two, promise!

xoxo,

A.

I seriously feel like my left arm [the "good" arm, in my case] has been cut off. Please don’t fret! [Though I'm saying this mostly to myself as I feel panic-stricken over the loss of my good friend, Inbox] I’m here! I’m here! I just can’t be emailed. Not sure why just yet but I’ve got a troop of elves putting their mind to the matter on this one.

Call if you need me. Or you can facebook me! :D It should be up and running in an hour or so. If your emails are getting kicked back to you… just be patient and email me later today mmmmmkay! Love you!

xoxo,

A.

Some of you may know this, some may not, but planning Alicia’s wedding is how we met. She hired me as her coordinator and we kinda just instantly clicked. But more than that, after we parted ways, two years ago today, we kept in touch due to her super amazingly fabulous pictures by Michael Norwood [which totally make Alicia look like "the hottness" if I don't say so myself!!].

About a year and a month after her wedding, she contacted me, out of the blue, asking if she could shadow me because she was helping a friend and had no idea how to run a “day-of”. We have been an US ever since. And to say that I’m elated… well, that’s an understatement! She’s the best team mate a girl could ask for. Seriously, a God-send… straight from above!

Tonight will be, for sure, filled with all the romance and love and emotion that was present on the day of her wedding. I’m so honored that I got to be a part of their story, and more than that… honored that I get to call her a friend. Happy day, Leashy-poo! We all LOVE you to pieces. Kick up your heels tonight with your man and kiss a LOT! A picture or two of “the hottness”:

[...and then, YOU say "wow, you've got to be joking!"]

[and then I'm like "nope, I totally wasn't! Right??"]

xoxo,

A.

So, to make up for it… here’s a few things that are pretty sweet!

These sweet sweets are frankly just making me smile at the moment. And I am exhausted! After a long day up in LA that included both the flower AND fabric district, straight to a tasting, a quick meeting, and a kiss kiss hug hug with my lovely associate Leashy-Pookie-Puppy-kins…. [and don't forget the traffic, RIGHT? It IS California], I’m happily sitting in bed typing out and pouring out these lovelies to all of you, MY lovelies.

What are you doing for your cake? Going tradish? Doing something fun and different? These pictures I’ve compiled from TONS of blogs and sites all over the ‘net. Please share your loves with me! They definitely inspire me to push myself more and more each day.

More than that… dwell on what’s making YOU smile, right now. Figure it out, seek it out, and stick with it. Maybe it’s the way that new “morning run” makes you feel the rest of the day, or it’s simply holding hands each night watching TV with your husband [or to-be]. Whatever it is… chase it, and don’t let go!

xoxo,

A.

I know what you’re thinking. FINALLY! I know. I’m just getting around to it! But, it’s been so nice to be back in the states, back to work, back to my life of love. Now, onto Greece! It was so incredibly lovely, and such an amazing time. We stayed in the heart of Athens, near their Parliament Building and on the street with ALL of the killer shopping. My kinda town. We walked our feet off EVERY day but it was so wonderful! Some pictures to tantalize you:

We enjoyed so many of the lovely cathedrals and sites despite the construction! It’s really incredible because so much of the new city is mixed right into the old city. There’s unique old churches in the middle of streets, on the sides of the road… everywhere!

We went up to the Acropolis the 2nd day and really soaked in the city. The houses built on top of other houses are beyond amazing. I would LOVE to get to go back to Greece someday!

We made our way through all of the historic sites all over town, but spent tons of time in the Plaka area [old town, tourist-y, and such a great ambiance]! The most memorable time in Greece was really the night when “earth hour” was held- when the major sites of the world went dark to symbolize saving our planet. The ENTIRE town went over to a grassy area across from the monument to watch it go dark, and celebrate with a live concert. Here’s our view:

Truly incredible! Our second to last day was spent taking a tour out to the Temple of Poseidon, which is on the outskirts of Athens and the bus ride was so fun, along the coast to really see the whole city and get a better feel of the land.

I love this picture of my mom and sis. Capturing these moments on my camera and knowing they’re with me forever in time… it’s a privilege. I really love it.

I loved this country-feel background. This building was right by where our bus parked and was seriously the maintenance hub.

This is my sister, before getting attacked by bees, enjoying the Grecian scenery:

Our last day there was spent shopping. SO. Fun. Not a ton of buying but a lot of shopping. We made one special trip of course to the infamous Poet Sandal Maker for my sister, who bought a pair that are so perfectly her. I didn’t get an image of her sandals, but the amount of leather and sandal in that tiny store was incredible! Just one of the dozens of cubbies stuffed with sandals:

All in all, Greece was SO fun. I haven’t really traveled Europe before, so being there with my family was really intense [as they travel a LOT]. We enjoyed everything but the meat market [traumatizing- seriously!!!], and have taken away some stellar memories and some serious love for olive pate and feta. Yummmm just thinking about it.

We didn’t get around to going out to any of the islands. I know the next time I head back to Greece I’ll book a trip out to one, but for this trip it was the perfect amount of time in the city to really feel comfortable with it. I hope I can go back before I forget all of the details… and where that delicious caramel gellato was made- CAN’T forget that. Seriously!

xoxo,

A.

Easter has always been a special day for my family and I. For as long as I can remember, my mom was the host of her famous “Easter Brunch”. More like breakfast [because it started at 8am and was over by 10am], but it is such a fond memory for me. We’d wake up just before dawn, attend the same Sunrise Service every year, listening to the core of our faith with a million other people and freezing our butts off on the freshly dewed benches, and then come home. By 8 in the morning, we were home. As a family.

No eggs. No hunt. No chocolates. Okay, a few chocolates. We had love in abundance. Faith in abundance. Laughs in abundance. And memories. We had those, too. This year is different. For so many reasons- ones I won’t get into in this arena just yet. But as I think of my Easters past… I’m infinitely happy. Here are some quick pictures of a bouquet of flowers I whipped up [literally, mind you... be kind] for my grandmother yesterday:

Roses, tulips, and waxflower. Isn’t deep warm pink and light aqua such an enchanting combo?

I can’t wait to see her today and give them to her. And of course, the “afterthought” bouquet, which is nearly always my favorite.

My sister makes a lovely model.
[...and don't think the sweater matching wasn't planned. It's mine and it's perfect!]

That’s right, Bex… exactly where you held your bouquet for my ENTIRE wedding ceremony…

:D

Hope you are all enjoying your own Sunday. Easter festivities or not, I truly love Sundays. They always seem to warm my heart and refresh my spirit in the right proportion needed to start my week. Not too too much, just enough. Infinitely happy.

xoxo,

A.

I think because it reminds me SO much of my “happy smile”. I have one. Particularly happy, crazy, and carefree smile. So whenever you see this:

… in one of your emails, really picture me doing this:

or, this…

…or, very similarly, this…

Typically I refer to this face as my over-the-top-intense “crazy tupperware lady” face. You know, that lady on the block growing up who was just super into selling Amway. Or Mary Kay. Or [now] Mona Vie! Not that there’s anything wrong with it… all that to say, I just am super apmed about my new fave. Sometimes, a regular smiley just won’t do.

xoxo,

A.

This is where Sara comes in. She’s a friend. An amazing friend. She married Josh’s best friend. She’s been a musician for forever. Literally. Not kidding. But tomorrow, her very first solo CD comes out. To say she’s fantastic is an understatement. Sara and her brother Sean grace the stage almost weekly up in LA Watkins Family Hour at Largo and watching them on stage, I’m typically taken away to a more simple time and entranced for as long as she keeps singing. I truly get to love her and her music simeltaneousy! What a treat. So, here’s my shameless plug…

Her album comes out tomorrow! It’s bluegrass. She plays the fiddle, you see. But more than that, it’s soul food. Heart food. Love food. My kinda food. If you have a moment, at least go and visit her site or better yet, her MYSPACE and listen to “All This Time”. It’s my fave. And if you ever catch yourself in downtown LA on a Thursday night… stop by Largo. Seeing her in person will be a gift that keeps on giving.

And because she married me and Josh’s BFF this past August [you may remember a few pics I snapped HERE], here’s one of their lovely and moving wedding portraits, courtesy of Andy Barron, music photographer extraordinaire:

Love music and it will love you back- every time.

xoxo,

A.

So I realized today that I’ve posted a few times on the blog now, but I’ve never really taken the time to introduce myself. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Alicia, Leashy, Leashy-kins….whatever you prefer. My friends would describe me as a down to earth chick who can be the girliest of girls (think Brittney Spears concerts, ponytails, and glitter) or the biggest tom boy on earth (think football, beer, and noogies). I know, it’s a huge spectrum to go between, but I always seem to find myself on the extreme edge of one or the other.

You might find me in a mall one day squealing my heart out over the most gorgeous pair of Christian Louboutin heels I’ve ever seen. Then find me the next day sitting on a couch, in a football jersey, having a burping contest with “the dudes”. And just in case you were wondering, yes, I do occasionally win…

But enough about all that. I don’t want you all thinking I do nothing but sit around shopping and burping all day. So maybe a better way to do this would be to make a list. Top ten most interesting/uninteresting things about me…

So HERE IT GOES!!!
1) I am an adrenalin junkie! Skydiving, bungee jumping, race car driving, ziplines, swimming with sharks, biking down a volcano, you name it. I’ve either already done it, or plan on doing it soon. I love that feeling of pushing the limits, and wondering if you’ll come out in the end the same way you went in.

2) I am also a reality T.V. ADDICT! I know, it’s gratuitous, voyeuristic, mindless, mush, but I just can’t help myself. If it’s “reality”, I watch it! And I’m not just talking the main ones like ANTM, Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race, and Project Runway. I even get sucked into the most ridiculous ones like Bromance, I Love Money, Confessions of a Teen Idol, Tool Academy, and Charm School.

It’s a sick, sick addiction. I may need help…

3) I Love, Love, LOVE football. Other sports?? Enhhh, I’ll watch em, but Football?? THAT’S my kind of Sunday afternoon! I was a cheerleader in high school (i know, i know, let the eye rolls ensue), but I was pretty much the only girl on the squad who was actually up on my stool watching the game, instead of checking to see if my nail polish was chipped. I always ask guys if they ever wished they were a girl for just a day so they could do something that was “girly”, but they always say no…go figure. So maybe it’s just me, but I always wished I could be a boy for a day just so I could play football in the NFL.
Speaking of which, anyone wanna guess who “my” team is? I’ll give you a hint….this person is linked to them in some way.

Anyone? Team Jinx??

4) I’m Romanian. Half to be exact.
Now, I don’t think this is a very unusual thing, but whenever I mention it to people, I get such a surprised reaction, so I figure maybe it’s rarer than I realize. Maybe I just don’t get it because I’ve spent so much time there. In the world of gymnasts and Dracula. People are also surprised to know that Transylvania is a real place, it’s kind of like a “county” in American terms, and one that I lived in for about a year when I was 13.

Do you see the family resemblance? It’s like twins separated at birth right?!?

5) I have the worst luck when it comes to favorite foods. I’ll find a specific flavor or version of something that I like, and undoubtably within a year or so it will no longer be in production. This has been happening to me since I was a teenager. I’ll walk into my grocery store to find that they are no longer carrying my favorite brand of chips, soda, cereal, cookies, pasta roni, etc. Apparently I have the weirdest taste buds in the world because no one else loves these things as much as I do.

6) I graduated from SDSU with a B.S. in Business Administration, Emphasis in Accounting in 2004.
That makes me degreed in bean counting. But I like to think it actually trained me well for the organization and meticulousness that come with being a wedding coordinator.

7) My two biggest pet peeves in the world are 1 – people who say FUStrated, instead of FRUStrated (my best friend use to do it for YEARS and it drove me crazy), and 2 – people who refuse to change the toilet paper roll when it’s out. I had a roommate who would actually take the time to remove the empty old one, but STILL just set the new one on top of the rod rather than putting it on there.

8 ) I’ll have been married for two years in May, and they have been the best two years of my life. People always say that the first year is the hardest, but I don’t get it. I mean yah, we had to figure out who was going to do the dishes, and if we were going to squeeze the toothpaste bottle from the middle or the bottom, but those are the little things. Getting to come home to this man every day that I love with all of my heart, makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive. :) I also honestly believe that one of the reasons I enjoy wedding coordinating so much is because of how in love I am. Getting to be around all of these couples who are in the same exact place as I am. Watching them make that ultimate commitment, to love and honor each other for the rest of there lives is a beautiful thing. And you’ll find me in the corner tearing up at the ceremony, first dance, and slideshows at almost every wedding.

My gorgeous husband and I on our wedding day. Picture by the FAB-U-LOUS Michael Norwood.

9) I’m not a crier. I know what you’re thinking, “but you JUST said you cry at all these weddings!”. Well that’s the weird thing. In general, I’m not a crier. Scuff a knee, have a bad day, feel frustrated…dry as a bone! But take me to a wedding or show me a sappy love movie, and it gets me EVERY time!

10) I have a cookbook collection that never gets used. Seriously, there are close to 30 different cookbooks on top of my refrigerator, 90% of which have probably never been used. And it’s not that I don’t like to cook. I DO!! That’s the reason I buy all of these cookbooks. It’s just that I’m either too busy, lazy, or cheap to ever go buy all of the ingredients it takes to make most of the things in them. Why does every recipe that sounds good have to have some exotic spice that costs $15 for the smallest bottle on the planet that I will never use again? Unless to make that exact same recipe again of course. I think it’s a conspiracy. Just sayin.

Ok, so hopefully that gave all of you loyal blog readers some insight into who I am. Just a simple, girly, tom boy, sky diving, reality T.V. watching, Romanian, accountant, who cries at weddings and avoids cookbooks if it means spending more than $5 on a spice jar.

So don’t be a stranger. I’d love to get to know who each and every one of you are too! Send me some love so Amanda knows that her blog wasn’t dead when she gets back from Europe. Just seven days and counting!! Do all of you miss her as much as I do?

~~ Alicia

Now, about the prom dress…

You get that, right? I’M OFF.

I’m flying the coupe!

I’m leaving the nest!

I’m running on empty!

[Wait. Did that last one work?]. What I mean to say is that I’m going out of town. Out of state. Out of country, actually! Yes, that’s right. You’re ever-present, ever-available coordinator is exploring this great world by going to Athens, Greece and Paris, France. I cannot believe it myself. My mom has had this trip in the works for her, my sister, and I for a while now. But, it all just came together sorta last minute and we’re actually LEAVING. Tomorrow!!! I’m so excited I could pee.

That’s not true.

It is. It isn’t. It is.

Either way, I had to let you all know. We’ll still be blogging- lots of engagement sessions for fabulous couples, a few other special things that I’m putting Alicia in charge of sending your way, and of course some fun Grecco updates if I have anything to do with it. Just wanted you all to know that I love and dove you all dearly [dove meaning peace and happiness and calmness in the midst of wedding planning, right? It makes sense, rhymes, and is cute. I heart that].

I’ll have an auto-response on my email but please feel free to email Alicia should anything urgent come up. She’ll be responding to all of the pressing matters at hand and everything else will be responded to upon my return April 6th [or 7th, or 8th, or 9th... bear with me, I don't travel much!!]. I know you all will understand because you love [and dove] me as much as I do you. I know that because you tell me. And for that, I’m so greatful. So, pop by and enjoy the eye candy, the heart candy, the brain candy that we’ll be providing you in the next two weeks and don’t miss me too much! Two more of those delicious mixed ranuncs….

Kisses and misses!!!!

xoxo,

A.

But until I get photos back from the fabulousnesses that they are [top secret until I decide to reveal...], here are some quick pics I snapped on MiPhone in the heat of the drama last Wednesday:

Since I’m, well… ME… I got in quite a few of the pictures. :) I’m SO funny, you guys. Trust me! Wink wink. See…..??

And my personal fave:

Please note: in an effort to get inspired at 8am [after spending until 1am in Downtown San Diego fawning over Jimmy Eat World's Clarity tour with friends], I dressed like a honey bee to fit the theme of Shelley’s upcoming April wedding [black, white, and yellow]! Yippeeee!!

Dress in your wedding colors tomorrow- just ’cause! It’s fun, inspiring, and silly. Doesn’t everyone need that once in a while?

xoxo,

A.

I whipped this up last week after one of my trips to the flower market. 3 packs of ranunculus, 1 pack of anemones and a pack of those grey pod things. Anyone know what they’re called?? I love it. it’s simple, it’s perfect, it’s still alive.

Sorry for my lack of breathing on this blog lately- I have been so SO busy with new weddings, old weddings, current weddings and more than that… a tabletop session! YESTERDAY was the big day and I am so relieved and equally excited. I can’t wait to show you all what I’ve been pouring my heart in to. I pray that it can inspire some of you to have the best versions of your wedding possible… and more than that, hoping they include ME!

I have so much to blog in the coming days so keep checking in with me! If you’re craving a little wedding eye candy, visit my post on Elizabeth Anne Designs, which is going up later today, that features one of my awesome 2007 couples. YAY to their eye-candy-filled wedding.

Love to all my little birdies who are taking flight with their own big plans!

xoxo,

A.

Inspired by Bakerella’s mouth-watering red velvet sandwich cookies, I embarked on a journey to make my own [as I'd been dying to bake for a bit anyway, plus I LOVE my cream cheese frosting recipe].

Taa daaaaa:

I went with lemon cake mix and cream cheese frosting filling.

They are SO yummy delish goodnesss. The jury has spoken [Josh, mom, sis, dad]!!! So glad that they’re having such overall appeal. Not only are they cute [even though I definitely consider this batch a "test batch"], but they’re easy and tasty.

I told Josh these are the types of things I’d like my kids to grow up with. The “family recipe” type of things that we make for birthdays and that remain special to them for all their lives. We’ll see, right??

Oh, and just for anyone who’s curious, here’s a snap Josh’s V-Day gift, to Sir with love:

Toadally into him.

xoxo,

A.

Be Mine???

Not sure if you remember what our family tradition is for Val Day [if you don't read last year's blog here], but it’s a doozie! This year is my year to give to Josh just EXACTLY what he never could ever possibly be interested in wanting. Can’t wait! I found it the other night at the grocery store and I’m confident it’s still sitting in the exact same place waiting for me. Since we’re both working a bit today, I can’t wait to whisk his gift off the shelf and then whip up some uber cute packaging for presenting it to him [after all, it's ALL about the packaging].

Do me a favor- kiss lots today!

xoxo,

A.

By the by- if you aren’t my friend on facebook, DO NOT read on unless you’re willing to ADD ME NOW. p.s. I don’t even know you and I already love you. You know I do.

Enjoy!

1. I love peanut butter. And I mean, LOVE. I adore reese’s pieces but I don’t love a peanut butter chocolate combo [peanut butter cups]. I found this old fashioned candy called Peanut Butter Straws and I am obsessed. I’ve only had them once but I can’t get ‘em out of my brain.

2. My mom is totally not the normal type of girly over-bearing mom. She’s not particularly sensitive [to the small things] either. Josh and I are SO different in that way, because I’m exactly like her. It typically ends up that I seem to not show any compassion for a headache, a bad day, a skinned knee…. kids will be interesting. :)

3. I booked my wedding photographer [before I was in the industry, ugh] from ONE photo I saw of hers in a magazine. I’ll never regret anything more. I hate our wedding photos.

4. I love Dr. Laura. I listen to her probably once a week, here and there. I’m a pretty rational person about my marriage and my love life because of it. I also always know when I’m at fault [which is literally almost 90% of the time... ME!].

5. I’m proud to have been married at the young age of 21. It was the best decision I ever made! I’m not certain that I would have married Josh had we dated at 23 or 24, but the way our personalities connect and exchange is one of my favorite things in life, ever.

6. I work from bed nearly ever morning, for at least an hour.

7. I am totally obsessed with my customer service satisfaction. It’s why I email so often. I have my phone set to check my email every 15 minutes and at least once an hour, I manually check it on top of that.

8. I am not good at being gone. I never have been. [Perhaps it's the whole email thing]. In fact, I am going to Europe with my mom and my sister this year and I’m already completely anxious about leaving my life for nearly two weeks. Plus I really hate traveling without Josh. But, seriously, who turns down a trip to Europe?

P.S. I’m going to Greece and France, for 10 days, don’t freak out yet. I’ve already made sure that it’s during a huge gap! Nobody will be in a lurch. I care too much to do that!

9. I love anything creative. In another life I totally would have pursued interior design, photography, fashion design or cosmetology. I still think about taking seminars and classes on every single one, just for enrichment.

10. My house is a mess, 85% of the time. I hate it. Since Josh and I BOTH work from home, it’s very difficult to keep working functionally in a cluttered environment. But I love a clean home, it’s just setting aside the proper amount of time to do something about it.

11. I only dated 3 boys, ever! Which means I only kissed 3 boys, ever. Two of them I dated more than once [Josh included].

12. I think I’m avoiding having kids. Probably because I’m selfish, scared, and busy. I literally feel that God is going to make me choose to pursue them, at this point, instead of dropping one into my lap. It’s kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time. I’ll let you know how it goes. :)

13. When I was like, 3 years old, I was swinging on a wrought-iron gate [you know, where you stand on the bottom and swing] in front of my house and I swung it right into my sister’s forehead. She has a scar that runs through her eyebrow. That may very well be my earliest memory!

14. I’m not a naturally outgoing person. I drink a cup or coffee or an energy drink before most every meeting because of it.

15. I get emotionally involved with my clients. Possibly to a fault. If I meet a couple that I totally click with and then never hear back, most of the time I’m heart broken for a while.

16. I’m indecisive about food. Seriously- this drives Josh crazy. I always, always want him to make the decision about it but really I “care”, just don’t want to decide. I once heard someone say “I don’t care about the small things because they’re unimportant, I make decisions about the big things- that’s what matters” and I felt like my WHOLE life made sense in that moment. Of course, that’s a crappy paraphrase that I just gave you.

17. I started wearing makeup on a regular basis when I started working as a wedding coordinator. As creative as I am, I never really learned how to do my hair or makeup. My mom was definitely NOT that type of mom, and because of it, I haven’t really been that type of girl either.

18. That said, I almost always sleep with my makeup on. I know it’s gross. And I haven’t always had great skin [I used to wash my face 3 times a day- for YEARS], but now that I do, I sleep with it on. And sometimes if I have a morning appointment and it still looks ok, I’ll rock the makeup day 2 style!! Confession time, apparently!!

19. I was a cheerleader for 5 years when I was little [really little, 4th to 8th grade]. I did not cheer in high school, though. Sometimes I still miss it. I had high kicks for days! And I can still pretty much do the splits. And by pretty much I mean I just have to be careful about ripping my pants… or my hamstrings. :)

20. I love music. I used to sing all the time, and was in tons of church musicals growing up. We have the videos to prove it. Now, in comparison to my husband, I hardly sing just because I don’t have the opportunity and he’s ridiculously talented. My favorite moments with him usually involve us singing together.

21. I knew I would marry a musician. My dad is one at heart, and was a “band guy” when he was young [even played the local prom circuit.... LOVE it!]. Every guy I dated was musical. Plus, I’m “built for tour” [as in, my heart grows fonder and my eyes never wander!].

22. Sometimes with craft stuff, I feel like a “jack of all trades, master of none”. I can arrange flowers, I can sew, I can bake…. but none of these things I’m particularly GREAT at.

23. I sit on my husband’s lap at least once a day, and we talk. Like school kids. I love it.

24. I think my sister is the best advice giver- when she listens- ever. She’s rational, she’s sensitive, she’s loving, and she seeks God with her whole heart. I cannot- CANNOT believe- that men haven’t realized yet what a wonderful loving asset she will be to someone’s life, heart, and family.

25. I’m a tomboy at heart. All of this “high heels” business is recently added to my life. When my husband met me, I wore converse, jeans, and a plain t shirt every day. On my off days, I’m still not far gone from that, but I LOVE that dressing up is part of my job and most days I use a meeting as an excuse to wear my work clothes. Or heels. And I ONLY seem to shop for work clothes these days!

And just in case you forgot what I looked like in the recent posts…

Of course many moons of thanks to B. Khang for rocking these for me. Can’t wait to use ‘em on my new site. Smooches!!

xoxo,

A.