More Eye Candy

Did you want more to look at while I study for my Human Sexuality final?  This photo stopped my heart:

Image from Tim Willoughby via Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Finals Week

I don't know how much posting I will get around to this week; I am taking finals for my last semester of grad school EVER!  Then I actually get to join the "real world" of working, which I know you won't believe is much much much better than homework.  But trust me, for me- it is.

To give you entertainment until then: Go check out megan w photography blog, to see fantastic images like this one.  They all capture my heart.

Random Love Friday: Round Four

I may or may not have put in a request for a Christmas/Wedding present from the fiance...

via apple.com

As my battery dies on my current cell phone, I think about my intense desire for this gift frequently.  So with my sights set on the iPhone, my thoughts hadn't even migrated to accessorizing until this week I saw these beautiful cases featured on Made By Girl:

fabrix cases

For an additional $24.90 (including shipping) I can have a pretty fabric case!  It comes in many different colors...

Just a few of the many options

But if I were choosing one today, I would choose Black Wallpaper:

Think you need a pretty Fabrix Case too?  Let me know your favorite color.  And if you have one, let me know how that iPhone is working out for you... I will try and contain my jealousy!

Big Weekend Plans: Pre-Cana Workshop

image found here

Before a couple may get married in the Catholic church, the couple must attend Pre-Cana classes (or a workshop, in our case) to prepare for marriage.  I thought I would do a little research, and was interested to see what Wikipedia had to say on the matter:

"Pre-Cana is a course or consultation Catholic couples must undergo before they can be married in a Catholic church.  The name is derived from John 2:1-12, the wedding feast as Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine."

(Sad confession?  When I read this I was like, 'Mmmmm, wine... That sounds good.')

"Approaches to Pre-Cana vary among Catholic parishes.  Often six weekly sessions will be led by a priest or deacon with support from a married Catholic couple.  Common topics include: compatibility of the couple, basic principles of Catholic marriage and family life, conflict resolution within marriage, and natural family planning."

I won't get into my thoughts on some of those things (at least not today), but let me just say there are parts of this I am looking forward to, and parts I am most definitely NOT.

When Ryan and I met with the priest officiating our wedding for the first time, we reviewed the first half of our results from a compatibility test we had taken.  The priest seemed quite convinced that we either completely agree, or that we complement each other perfectly.  (I must say, that while he seems really nice, I am glad I didn't have any major issues to discuss with him because he seemed to somewhat... minimize any comments I did make.  Hmm.)  Either way, when we finished he told us to go complete our Pre-Cana, and then come in for round two.

We had three options at the Cathedral for Pre-Cana.  The first is to meet six or seven times over dinner with a recently married couple.  While this is apparently very popular, this made me massively nervous.  Neither Ryan nor I is the type to meet strangers and discuss our marital future.  Too much introversion in this relationship.  So that was out.

The second option is Engaged Encounter, which you can learn more about by clicking the link above.  I really wanted to do this, because I believe we could benefit from being forced to contemplate our future marriage for a weekend.  It is a retreat with activities throughout the weekend to encourage communication.  I am a big retreat fan anyway, so this seemed like a great idea.  Logistically however, not so much.  It is expensive, and it is a time investment.  Sadly, two things neither of us felt great about.  So this option was out.  (If you have been on Engaged Encounter though- PLEASE tell me!  I am so curious to hear what it's like.)

Our last option (and the one we chose by default) is the Pre-Cana workshop.  For $95, you can spend seven hours hanging out in midtown Atlanta with other couples preparing for marriage.  And so we shall, on Saturday.

I must admit, I am really curious more than anything.  I am glad we are forced to invest time in talking about marital issues- I am just not confident about how it will be handled.  My experiences so far have left some important things to be desired, which is frustrating as a counselor.

So I will let y'all know how it goes- but if you have any inside info, let me know!  What kinds of bonding activities should I be prepared to endure?  Are we really going to feel comfortable discussing emotionally intense topics in such a public setting?

Wordle made my day.  For this I used (a slightly edited version of) the letter Ryan wrote when he proposed.  I love it :)

A Fantastic Resource: The EAD Library

If you haven't already checked it out, go over to Elizabeth Anne Designs and look through the brand new EAD Library that launched yesterday!  In describing the Library, Rebekah and Ami said:

"The Library is filled with hundreds of useful links, from photographers to shops to stationers.  Our goal is a simple, comprehensive list of vendors.  The Library will help every bride, no matter her location, find the vendors and inspiration she needs for a beautiful event."

I have been reading the EAD Blog for some time now, and the Library is a fantastic addition!  It is very straightforward and easy to navigate.  I am thankful for this great planning resource!  Great job Rebekah and Ami!

The Dress: The Trunk Show

Now don't get too upset with me, but I am not going to give much information about my second experience during wedding dress shopping day number one.  I was VERY excited about this second place, and had heard that it was fantastic.  However, the owner of the salon got on my bad side fast.  Let's just say that she... had a lot of strong opinions.  Pretty much every comment out of my mouth was wrong, and she knew much better than I did about every aspect of my experience.  And the one thing she knew for sure, was that all brides love sparkles.  When I tried to explain that they just aren't for me, she told me that I was too far away from my wedding day.  "The closer it gets, the more sparkles all the girls want!  They'll have to cut you off come next January!  You'll want sparkles everywhere!"

Strange.  Six months out, and I am still not a huge sparkle fan.  Maybe this phenomenon kicks in after the six month mark?

Needless to say, I felt that experience disappointed.  So my hopes were back on the Jenny Lee trunk show.

Jenny Lee

I was foolishly hoping that my dream dress was going to not only magically appear, but magically appear in my price range.  Yeah... Not so much.  Jenny was amazing to meet- extremely nice and very helpful.  Having her drape and pin a dress exactly to fit my body was insane, and definitely (for me at least) a really cool, once in a lifetime type experience.  (Listen, I don't get out much.)

But alas, the dresses were still beautiful but not giving me butterflies, and were still not affordable.  I left feeling more than anything really stupid that I had let myself get all excited about something I couldn't afford.  I searched PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com and found one of the two I loved, but at $1750 plus shipping it was still more than I could stomach.  (I was shooting for as inexpensive as possible, but ultimately under $1000.)

I kept telling myself that I was glad; I had gotten a perfect idea of what I wanted.  There had to be something out there like these dresses that was inexpensive, and when I found it I would get that 'The One' feeling, and life would be fantastic.  I decided to quit dress shopping for a while, and wait until my Mom and sisters were in town to shop with me.