Graduation weekend

Congrats to the newest college grad in our family, my little sister Rose! By next year, all four of us siblings (not to mention all of our spouses) will have Bachelor's degrees - not too shabby!

On Friday I worked until 3 p.m. and then rushed home to change for Sac State graduation at Power Balance Pavilion. Rose and her friend met me and hubby at our house, then we drove together. And drank champagne in the parking lot to celebrate. Champagne = classy!

After the ceremony we drove to my parents' house to get our party on! There were almost 30 guests. SUCH a fun party!

My grandparents are going to be in town from Texas all week because my brother's wedding is next weekend.

On Saturday my aunt and cousins from the Bay Area came over and we had a picnic in Old Sacramento. So much fun to get to see my aunt, cousins and three little second cousins ages (my best guess) 3, 5 and 7. I got a little sunburned but had a great time. It was super exhausting being out in the sun for several hours. Wish I had taken some pictures!!

Sunday was my mom's birthday! Happy birthday madre! My sister and brother in law hosted us all for dinner. They made Thai food, and I brought Italian cream cake made with this recipe.

Best husband award

Tonight I came home after a long day, and look what was waiting for me!

James knew I'm having a hard work week (yeah it's only Monday) and this put a smile on my face (and a tear in my eye). Thanks love!!! Made my night ♥



Taken last weekend

What I've been up to. A bullet list.

• Lots of stuff is going on with me lately but none of it feels significant enough to deserve its own post.
• We had a Mother's Day dinner at our house - I made chicken parmesan.

My mom & mother in law

• On Saturday I went to a bridal shower for a good friend. I'm so happy for her, and looking forward to her wedding in June. It was nice to catch up with the bride and other friends.

Me & the bride with a random stranger, Halloween 2008

• After the bridal shower I met J at a housewarming party for one of his coworkers. It was fun.
• My sister is graduating from Sacramento State this Friday, and after the ceremony there's a party at my parents' house. We went over on Friday after work and spent a few hours hanging tons of Christmas lights in their backyard. It looks so cool! Hopefully it's warm/dry enough, because they have the perfect outdoor party yard.
• I'm making magic cookie bars for the party. I've made them once before and they're fabulous.

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• It's rare that I want to go to the movies, but I really want to see Bridesmaids and The Hangover Part II. Rose and I went to see Water for Elephants recently too. I don't think I've been to the theater 3 times in the past 2 years. Seriously.
• Things are happening on the house front. Good things. I'm just afraid to jinx it so I'm not announcing anything yet ;)

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• I'm over Facebook. They blocked it at work a few months ago and not having access to it has made me not care.
• My brother is getting married in 12 days! That will be fun and emotional. I get a 4.5 day weekend for it, so that's exciting too.

• I have a bunch of stuff from our wedding that I really need to sell on Craigslist or elsewhere. These signs, our table overlays, candles... it's just taking up space!
• I also have lots of clothes and other stuff that I'll likely get rid of when we move, and I'm pondering having a yard sale. I probably don't have enough stuff for one, but it would be nice to make a little bit of money from it. The alternative (and what I usually do) is to donate it.

Our wedding vendors

This post has been sitting in my drafts for way too long, and it's about time I get this info out there! I'm kind of embarrassed to be posting it almost 8 months after our wedding, but hopefully this is helpful to someone.

Ceremony Venue: Lighthouse Point Lawn Area

This area is booked through the City of Santa Cruz, and is so beautiful! Downsides: Limited parking (although our guests didn't seem to have a problem), a maximum of 50 chairs are allowed, and the fact that it's a public space. When we decided to get married here we knew that there would be dozens of strangers watching, but it was worth it.

Reception Venue & Catering: Michael's on Main

Michael's on Main is a restaurant in Soquel, about 15 minutes from our ceremony location. Our reception was on the back patio, and it was beautiful. The staff were very nice and I received many compliments on the food.

We were supposed to have a coordinator there that night but she wasn't, which was weird. It was included in our price. We had our day of coordinator so maybe she didn't think she had to come? I also told you about how they forgot to put our favors out, and the coordinator was pretty unapologetic and defensive about it.

Guitarist: David Field

We got David to play at our wedding for a reduced rate by posting a gig ad on Craigslist, which I blogged about here. What I could hear was beautiful... most of the time I was thinking about other things but I clearly remember his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for our first dance.

Officiant: Mark Toback
We hired Mark because he writes his ceremonies specifically for each couple, and we loved that concept. He didn't disappoint, as he wrote and performed a beautiful ceremony that we loved! He took a lot longer getting it to us than he said he would, but it was still well before the wedding so whatev.

Chair/Bench Rentals: M&M Party Rentals

They got the job done and were on time, so we were happy with them.

Day of Coordinator: Allumer Weddings & Events

Cristina was fantastic from the moment we hired her. She is so affordable yet as helpful and professional as anyone could be! She was setting up the lights at our reception venue at 8 a.m. the morning of the wedding, and stayed until at least 11 p.m. after everyone left. She also ordered our flowers for us, and I'm so glad we had her!

Cake: Hoffman's Bakery

Hoffman's delivered the delicious princess torte plain, and our day of coordinator decorated it with fresh flowers. It was yummy! The two times we met with them they seemed disorganized, but the cake made it to the reception as ordered, so I'm not complaining.

Photographer: Weddings by Tammynize
I love our photos! Tammy was so nice on the wedding day and captured everything just how I had hoped. She was helpful and creative, plus she's affordable!

Bridal Gown Alterations: Lana's Studio

These ladies did a great job and were very sweet. The price was reasonable, the bustle was beautiful (although it broke at the reception, I think that was my fault) and the dress fit great.

Hair: Kepare Salon

My stylist did an okay job. I didn't love it but I may not have given her enough direction. They don't accept credit cards and didn't tell me when I made the appointment. I got lucky that I had enough cash on me!

Those are the main vendors we used. Any questions - feel free to contact me! :)

P.S. To see all my posts about our wedding day, see the tab at the top of the page