I just heard back from our wedding site, and the date and place are officially ours! So, drumroll please.....
Mark your calendars (if they go out that far) for our wedding at Santa Margarita Ranch on Sunday July 17th, 2011!
Yes, Save The Date's will be sent out when it's closer, but I'm just so excited that I wanted to share. Now that we have a site and date, we can move forward on booking other vendors too. Hard to believe that things are actually happening with this wedding, but I still can't believe that I'm in my 3rd year of grad school already.
Anyway, that's all for this post. Stay tuned for more wedding updates to come! :)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Updates...
I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. Sorry folks. Let me catch you all up to speed.
-Valentine's day weekend. I headed up to SLO to take care of my gimpy Jeff. (He had hurt his knee just before that). We saw "Valentine's Day", watched some of the Olympics, got Jeff some food (he hadn't been to the grocery store in a week and a half), and thoroughly enjoyed each others' company. We both are feeling the distance and separation a little more now after having been together for 3 months. Fortunately, the end is close(er).
-Hawaii. No, I didn't go to Hawaii, but Jeff and I finally booked our tickets for June. Bring on the surf, sand, sunshine and shave ice! ALOHA!
-Disneyland. My mom and I decided to take advantage of my close proximity to Disneyland before I moved out and ran away on a Wednesday. We didn't go on a ton of rides, but instead enjoyed relaxing and spending the day together. Besides, who doesn't want to run away to the happiest place on earth mid-week?!
-End of rotation #3. Yep, my 3rd rotation is officially over. The last few weeks were hectic to say the least. Due to budget cuts by the state, each of the therapists at the center were being forced to take a day off each week. We got Wednesdays, which is why I was able to go to Disneyland. Then, for my final week we were forced outside due to the discovery of toxic mold throughout the building. Mind you, we had no heads up on this, and showed up to a scene that looked like it was straight from E.T. Plastic tunnels everywhere, giant fans and dehumidifiers and filters, weird smelling dust (where was my mask??). So we called the week "Outdoor Adventure" and had to get creative. Thank goodness this was at the end. They are now at another church for the next 3 weeks, where they'll have to pack everything up every day because they won't allow them to leave things overnight. Better than outside, I guess. The parents were sad to see us go, and kept telling me I should work with kids because I was really good at it. We'll see. Maybe combine peds and ortho?
-Moving. I have moved back home to my parents' house. 5th time moving since August. Ethan was sad to see me go and kept trying to distract me from packing. He cried when he saw me pack my car. It just about broke my heart. Now I'm trying to unpack and sort through things. I have way too much stuff, but I hesitate to get rid of things due to all the "what if's" in life. Ugh. I hate decisions.
-Bridal shower. My mom and I attended a family friend's bridal shower on Sunday. Very nicely done. Made me start thinking about how close(r) our wedding is getting. It'll be here before we know it!
-All things wedding. So Jeff and I have chosen a location and a date. I have the contract and it's ready to be mailed tomorrow with the deposit. I'm not going to reveal where/when it is until we hear back that it's officially ours because I don't want to jinx it. Let me tell you though...when I saw it say "Mason-Dake Wedding" on the front, I just about peed my pants I was freaking out. In a good way. It suddenly made it real. Why it didn't feel real when I bought the dress, I don't know. But suddenly it hit me that this was MY wedding and MY big day. And I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for hours. Finally this is happening, and I can't wait. :)
-Back to school. Today was the 1st day of class after 7 months in the clinic. Which means I'm officially a 3rd year! Woohoo! Can't believe I've survived this long and am finally on the tail end of this madness called grad school. I am carpooling to Azusa with 2 classmates from Moorpark. It was exciting to see everyone again, but not too much fun to have to sit in class. Course, we only have class for 2 hours on Mondays, and he let us out an hour early. We spent more time in the car than we did in class. Oh well.
That's about it. Will try to do better at keeping this more current. Guess I got caught up in the whirlwind of life. Oops.
-Valentine's day weekend. I headed up to SLO to take care of my gimpy Jeff. (He had hurt his knee just before that). We saw "Valentine's Day", watched some of the Olympics, got Jeff some food (he hadn't been to the grocery store in a week and a half), and thoroughly enjoyed each others' company. We both are feeling the distance and separation a little more now after having been together for 3 months. Fortunately, the end is close(er).
-Hawaii. No, I didn't go to Hawaii, but Jeff and I finally booked our tickets for June. Bring on the surf, sand, sunshine and shave ice! ALOHA!
-Disneyland. My mom and I decided to take advantage of my close proximity to Disneyland before I moved out and ran away on a Wednesday. We didn't go on a ton of rides, but instead enjoyed relaxing and spending the day together. Besides, who doesn't want to run away to the happiest place on earth mid-week?!
-End of rotation #3. Yep, my 3rd rotation is officially over. The last few weeks were hectic to say the least. Due to budget cuts by the state, each of the therapists at the center were being forced to take a day off each week. We got Wednesdays, which is why I was able to go to Disneyland. Then, for my final week we were forced outside due to the discovery of toxic mold throughout the building. Mind you, we had no heads up on this, and showed up to a scene that looked like it was straight from E.T. Plastic tunnels everywhere, giant fans and dehumidifiers and filters, weird smelling dust (where was my mask??). So we called the week "Outdoor Adventure" and had to get creative. Thank goodness this was at the end. They are now at another church for the next 3 weeks, where they'll have to pack everything up every day because they won't allow them to leave things overnight. Better than outside, I guess. The parents were sad to see us go, and kept telling me I should work with kids because I was really good at it. We'll see. Maybe combine peds and ortho?
-Moving. I have moved back home to my parents' house. 5th time moving since August. Ethan was sad to see me go and kept trying to distract me from packing. He cried when he saw me pack my car. It just about broke my heart. Now I'm trying to unpack and sort through things. I have way too much stuff, but I hesitate to get rid of things due to all the "what if's" in life. Ugh. I hate decisions.
-Bridal shower. My mom and I attended a family friend's bridal shower on Sunday. Very nicely done. Made me start thinking about how close(r) our wedding is getting. It'll be here before we know it!
-All things wedding. So Jeff and I have chosen a location and a date. I have the contract and it's ready to be mailed tomorrow with the deposit. I'm not going to reveal where/when it is until we hear back that it's officially ours because I don't want to jinx it. Let me tell you though...when I saw it say "Mason-Dake Wedding" on the front, I just about peed my pants I was freaking out. In a good way. It suddenly made it real. Why it didn't feel real when I bought the dress, I don't know. But suddenly it hit me that this was MY wedding and MY big day. And I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for hours. Finally this is happening, and I can't wait. :)
-Back to school. Today was the 1st day of class after 7 months in the clinic. Which means I'm officially a 3rd year! Woohoo! Can't believe I've survived this long and am finally on the tail end of this madness called grad school. I am carpooling to Azusa with 2 classmates from Moorpark. It was exciting to see everyone again, but not too much fun to have to sit in class. Course, we only have class for 2 hours on Mondays, and he let us out an hour early. We spent more time in the car than we did in class. Oh well.
That's about it. Will try to do better at keeping this more current. Guess I got caught up in the whirlwind of life. Oops.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Wedding Weekend Extravaganza...
This past weekend, my mom and I headed up to SLO for a weekend full of wedding stuff. Saturday we visited a new facility/location in Nipomo called The Dana Powers House. This is actually the location that Jeff's step/half-cousin Angela will be getting married at this November. It has a barn which is decorated with all sorts of vintage mirrors and shabby chic rustic decorations. You can get a better idea of it here. It definitely has its pros and cons (more on this in a bit), and is not eliminated as a choice yet.
Saturday afternoon we met with a photographer who I have been following for about a year now (and who shot the wedding linked above), named Katie DiSimone. We ended up talking with her for about 2 hours at Starbucks (Jeff's most favorite place), looking at her albums and discussing her philosophy and what we were looking for. I'm not going to lie, I still love her, in fact maybe even more now. When I asked Jeff if he liked her, he said "sure, she was fine", which in Jeff speak is a compliment. We told her to win him over with a video game. She stands by a strict rule that she will not spend more than 1 hour between the ceremony and reception taking pictures...a rule that Jeff and I are requiring of whichever photographer we end up with. Jeff has predicted that we will end up with her, and he's probably right. We'll just have to see how she fits in the budget.
Sunday morning we headed back up to see Santa Margarita Ranch again for a self-guided tour. It was freezing in the barn! It was only 47º outside, and it was a good 10º cooler inside...something that will be much appreciated in July heat. Jeff and I both still like this place better. You can check out some pictures of it here and here. The barn has a very different feel than Dana Powers, but has so much history attached to it. There is just something about the wide open spaces that appeals to the two of us.
Sunday afternoon we all (Jeff included) went to a Bridal Fair. It was supposedly "the better one", but I was disappointed by it. 3 of 4 photographers, the DJ, and florists that I was hoping to look at again were not there. Bummer. We talked to a few caterers and learned that the menu we're planning on having is actually affordable. YES! Finally, something is actually reasonably priced! I have been sofrustrated infuriated by the wedding industry and their need to overprice everything. I'm not trying to have an elaborate or extravagant wedding. I want a simple, but pretty, wedding that is an expression of our personalities and our love for each other. But the cost of everything makes me feel like I'm being over the top and extravagant. Grrr. I'm beginning to understand more and more why people elope.
So now on to the pros and cons of the 2 locations...please scroll down past this if you don't care. Don't worry, I won't be offended.
Pros of Dana Powers House:
-It's in Nipomo, meaning cooler weather in July
-The inside of the barn has a lot of charm and character
-It's cheaper than Santa Margarita Ranch, and has more bells and whistles included
-They handle all the rentals for you, meaning less things for me to do
-We can afford it on a Saturday
Cons of Dana Powers House:
-It's in Nipomo, a city that I have a general dislike for (my mom equates it with getting married in Barstow)
-The ceremony site is literally a rectangle of grass with a platform on the end, meaning more money will need to be spent to make it look pretty. And it's right next to the barn...no wide open spaces here!
-It has very strict time limits, where we can only come 2 hours before the ceremony, get exactly 30 minutes for the ceremony itself, and the party ends at 9:30...I'm all for time schedules, but not super strict ones
Pros of Santa Margarita Ranch:
-It's not in Nipomo :)
-It is full of wide open spaces
-The ceremony site is gorgeous, and there are interesting things to look at everywhere you turn (old theater marquee, old Disneyland trains, vineyard, sheep, old cars and tractors)
-We get the place the entire day, as early as 8 am, and don't have to turn off the music until 10 pm, meaning more flexibility in the day
Cons of Santa Margarita Ranch:
-It's in Santa Margarita, so it will be hotter than Nipomo in July
-It's more expensive...so expensive that Saturday is out of the question. Apparently I'm the only one having issues with a Sunday wedding, although I'm slowly starting to get over it as I'm crunching more and more numbers and seeing how much money we'll save. Oh, did I mention that they just sent me the updated price sheet and they've raised their prices for 2011...yes, even in this economy! Welcome to the wedding industry...
-There are pretty much no bells and whistles included, meaning we'll have to watch our budget closely
To sum up, we've pretty much decided that if we really want a Saturday wedding, it will be in Nipomo. But if we (I) can get over having a Sunday wedding, we'll have it at Santa Margarita Ranch. Or if we come across a large sum of money (not looking very likely)...So either July 16th or 17th, 2011 will be the big day, unless they somehow book up before we make our deposit. What are your votes/thoughts/suggestions/etc? I'm all ears...
I'm now in my 6th week of my rotation (um, where did January go?), and starting this week I'll have Wednesdays off due to budget cuts by the Regional Center (the funding source). Not too shabby!
Hope all is well. Sorry for all the wedding talk. I know some of you are very interested, and some of you could care less. I'll try to balance it out as best I can...no promises though! Here's to a happy, healthy, and (relatively) stress-free February! And 6 more weeks of winter...
Saturday afternoon we met with a photographer who I have been following for about a year now (and who shot the wedding linked above), named Katie DiSimone. We ended up talking with her for about 2 hours at Starbucks (Jeff's most favorite place), looking at her albums and discussing her philosophy and what we were looking for. I'm not going to lie, I still love her, in fact maybe even more now. When I asked Jeff if he liked her, he said "sure, she was fine", which in Jeff speak is a compliment. We told her to win him over with a video game. She stands by a strict rule that she will not spend more than 1 hour between the ceremony and reception taking pictures...a rule that Jeff and I are requiring of whichever photographer we end up with. Jeff has predicted that we will end up with her, and he's probably right. We'll just have to see how she fits in the budget.
Sunday morning we headed back up to see Santa Margarita Ranch again for a self-guided tour. It was freezing in the barn! It was only 47º outside, and it was a good 10º cooler inside...something that will be much appreciated in July heat. Jeff and I both still like this place better. You can check out some pictures of it here and here. The barn has a very different feel than Dana Powers, but has so much history attached to it. There is just something about the wide open spaces that appeals to the two of us.
Sunday afternoon we all (Jeff included) went to a Bridal Fair. It was supposedly "the better one", but I was disappointed by it. 3 of 4 photographers, the DJ, and florists that I was hoping to look at again were not there. Bummer. We talked to a few caterers and learned that the menu we're planning on having is actually affordable. YES! Finally, something is actually reasonably priced! I have been so
So now on to the pros and cons of the 2 locations...please scroll down past this if you don't care. Don't worry, I won't be offended.
Pros of Dana Powers House:
-It's in Nipomo, meaning cooler weather in July
-The inside of the barn has a lot of charm and character
-It's cheaper than Santa Margarita Ranch, and has more bells and whistles included
-They handle all the rentals for you, meaning less things for me to do
-We can afford it on a Saturday
Cons of Dana Powers House:
-It's in Nipomo, a city that I have a general dislike for (my mom equates it with getting married in Barstow)
-The ceremony site is literally a rectangle of grass with a platform on the end, meaning more money will need to be spent to make it look pretty. And it's right next to the barn...no wide open spaces here!
-It has very strict time limits, where we can only come 2 hours before the ceremony, get exactly 30 minutes for the ceremony itself, and the party ends at 9:30...I'm all for time schedules, but not super strict ones
Pros of Santa Margarita Ranch:
-It's not in Nipomo :)
-It is full of wide open spaces
-The ceremony site is gorgeous, and there are interesting things to look at everywhere you turn (old theater marquee, old Disneyland trains, vineyard, sheep, old cars and tractors)
-We get the place the entire day, as early as 8 am, and don't have to turn off the music until 10 pm, meaning more flexibility in the day
Cons of Santa Margarita Ranch:
-It's in Santa Margarita, so it will be hotter than Nipomo in July
-It's more expensive...so expensive that Saturday is out of the question. Apparently I'm the only one having issues with a Sunday wedding, although I'm slowly starting to get over it as I'm crunching more and more numbers and seeing how much money we'll save. Oh, did I mention that they just sent me the updated price sheet and they've raised their prices for 2011...yes, even in this economy! Welcome to the wedding industry...
-There are pretty much no bells and whistles included, meaning we'll have to watch our budget closely
To sum up, we've pretty much decided that if we really want a Saturday wedding, it will be in Nipomo. But if we (I) can get over having a Sunday wedding, we'll have it at Santa Margarita Ranch. Or if we come across a large sum of money (not looking very likely)...So either July 16th or 17th, 2011 will be the big day, unless they somehow book up before we make our deposit. What are your votes/thoughts/suggestions/etc? I'm all ears...
I'm now in my 6th week of my rotation (um, where did January go?), and starting this week I'll have Wednesdays off due to budget cuts by the Regional Center (the funding source). Not too shabby!
Hope all is well. Sorry for all the wedding talk. I know some of you are very interested, and some of you could care less. I'll try to balance it out as best I can...no promises though! Here's to a happy, healthy, and (relatively) stress-free February! And 6 more weeks of winter...
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