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.

Spring is so lovely. The birds are chirping. The air is crisp. The sun is beaming through my windows [okay, okay... so I don't have window coverings yet, but hey... it's a work in progress and I am so thrilled that I get the chance to notice the natural light flooding in].

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.

My favorite emoticon, at the moment is this: 

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.

I think it’d be quite obvious that I’m “into” music. It’s a huge part of my life. It’s my husband’s job, it’s our livelihood, and it’s one of my passions. So, there are no surprises that music surrounds every aspect of my life. My crowd is the music crowd. And I don’t discriminate. I listen to it all. Though mostly you’ll hear me singing along to every SINGLE word of the newest Top 100 hits on the pop charts, I’ve got a soul for the eclectic, indie music scene just as much.

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

What’s better than a mason jar packed with ranuncs to ease you into some news, huh??

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.

I can’t wait to show you all the fruits of my labor over the past month. My new tabletops are going to ROCK off your faces before you can even take the time to squeal out loud [at work, preferably] with utter delight!

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:

Alicia [...but you can call her Leashy-kins, because I do!] and I headed to downtown LA’s infamous fabric district early this morning for a fun project for one of her clients. I HEART the fabric district and any excuse to go is a great one in my book! But that’s not the reason for my post. Leash and I were going around exploring options for Shelley [aforementioned client] and decided to snap some photos, as Shelley’s planning long-distance from Chicago.

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.