A Girl in the City...Now A Girl in the Country

I'm Headed Back to Cali, Cali, Cali!

2011-03-09T18:47:00.003-06:00

Good food, wine and/or beer, guitar playing, oh and more beer...we must have spent the weekend in California! Dillon and went out to California last weekend to welcome my little brother home from Afghanistan. I'm super proud of him and love him for giving me the excuse to get out of dodge and see the California Dudziaks. It's been a long time since I've been out to California to visit my family out there and it was obviously long over due. We got to see all of our cousins, their kids, Tom and Connie's new house and of course, my little Emily! It was a great time. We got out there on Thursday night and then Friday had an impromptu dinner party at Tom and Connie's. Then Saturday was Tom's homecoming party. It was mostly all family and just what I needed. We made fajitas and drank beer and sat around the fire pit later in the night with Bryan playing his guitar. Talk about a perfect night. We all toasted Tom and he and Connie even took a moment out to toast Dillon and I for our engagement. (Thanks guys!) Dillon got to spend more time with that part of my family than he ever has. I think he may be reconsidering the engagement now...hahaha...just kidding. Actually I think that I was just right and he and the California cousins got along greatly. He did however see just how many kids there are in my family and got a little taste of the craziness that will surround our wedding. It's going to be so much fun though.

So, California...it's been to long and I promise we won't let it be that long until we come back again. Who knows, maybe Dillon will work at the Orange County Airport someday!!!!

Abilene Snowmaggedon

2011-02-04T11:31:00.005-06:00

Day 4 of the Abilene snowstorm. Things here looks bleak and it's getting a bit ridiculous. On Monday night, the storm that dumped rain, ice and snowon most of the county hit us here in Abilene. Since then we haven't been above freezing, evenduring the day with sunshine. My hometown, Chicago, got 21 inches of snow. It was the 3rd worst storm ever in Chicago. Now, they got the worst of it on Wednesday, my best friend's 30th birthday. They were up and running the next day there! Here in Abilene, it's a differentstory. Apparently, even though we get snow every year, this city is not prepared for a snowstorm. We have 3 inches of ice on the ground and then snow on top of that. Most of the schools and businesses have been closed since Tuesday and the airport has even been closed. How, how, can they not have been prepared at all. My boss tried to come and pick me up to take me to work,we didn't feel like my Scion was going to be safe and because the wind created a drift of snow behind it a few feet high. When they got here, the ice was so bad that they couldn't get into the complex and actually got stuck in the snow. They had to have someone pull them out, thank you good samaritan! So now, basically, we are stuck in our apartment complex. Dillon and Evan ventured out and walked to the gas station nearby to get some beer, necessities really, and poor Dillon slipped and feel on the ice. He busted up his chin, but being a boy, is hoping for a scar! So my message to Abilene, please, please do something about the crazy ice on these roads so that the city can get back to work. I've run out of things to clean here at the house and soon, we're going to have cabin fever! People in the north are probably laughing at us!

PS - These pictures were taken Tuesday morning, and currently, it looks EXACTLY the same outside! Well, maybe more ice now!

New Job!

2011-02-04T11:30:00.000-06:00

So I’ve started a new venture in my life. Since moving to Abilene I haven’t really found much to do here in the way of work. I had given up on finding something in my industry and thought that I was going to have to resort to bartending, waiting tables or being a secretary or assistant or something along those lines. Now, I should emphasize that these are great jobs and allow a lot of freedom and flexibility sometimes and I would have been happy doing one of those. Really though, I wanted to be doing something at least somewhat related to what I was doing before in Houston and to still feel like I was working towards a career instead of just biding my time while here in Abilene.

Well good news, I've found a job! I've been hired by a company called Travel Leaders and they are a travel agency here in Abilene. My first thought was, travel agency, who uses those? Actually, what I'm finding out is that alot of people use them and after learning more about what they do, most people should! So now I'll be training with them and will eventually be booking vacations for people. How fun! Actually, we're hoping to use my wedding experience to work more with destination weddings which will be fun. Plus, I'm finding lots and lots of ideas for mine and Dillon's wedding. This may actually be a much harder process now because I'm learning so much and seeing all of these amazing places. I want to get married at all of them!

My first day a this job was actually last Saturday. My new employer (Joe) picked me up and we drove to Dallas. Talk about plenty of time to get to know your new boss, 3 hours in a car together. It was great though and thankfully we didn't have those awkward silences while driving, just nice conversation. The reason we drove to Dallas was because on Sunday morning I met him at the DFW airport and we flew to Cancun, Mexico!! My first week on the job was spent touring different resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya. By the way, it was totally safe and everyone should go. I can't even begin to describe the water and the beaches. I can only say WOW! Now we are back to the reality though and I'm training and learning lots. Plus, part of this training is research so I'm looking at lots of pretty places all day! Yeah!

So the moral of this story is...if you are going to book a vacation you better call me! I need to make my new bosses happy and I need to make some money! Love to you all!

Chicken Again???

2011-01-08T18:23:00.003-06:00

In my search for new recipes I have found that I seem to be gravitating way to much to chicken. Since I've been unemployed and in a new city without gaggles of friends to hang out with I find myself doing a lot of cooking. It's been fun and I think that Dillon's certainly loving it. I spend a lot time on the Cooking Light website, trying to keep us healthy and it's been working. I now find that I'm in a rut though. Not in cooking the same recipes over and over again but with my main ingredient.

I've always known that chicken can be one of the healthiest proteins you can cook with but there is really nothing more boring to me than a plain grilled chicken breast (well, maybe a plain poached chicken breast). Oh, and here in Abilene we are not allowed to have grills on our apartment patios so grilling a chicken breast is out of the question anyway. So, I've been making healthy chicken dishes cooking it in other ways and working on developing good flavors from it. Now I find Dillon asking me what we're making for dinner and then answering the question right back, chicken.

Basically what I need are some good recipes for beef or fish maybe. The key here is healthy and it cannot be grilled either because that isn't an option for us. We're open to pork but really aren't big fans as much of that, probably because I don't really know how to cook it well. I'd really love to get my Dillon interested in fish more so maybe I'll start trying that but overall, he's never been a big fan of fish.

So cooking gods out there - please help me!

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T10:15:00.003-06:00

Wow, 2010 is basically over!! I can't believe it! This year has been crazy and brought alot of changes. Thinking back to the beginning of 2010, well I was pretty miserable. That is, I found out I was loosing my health insurance at midnight on new year's eve and I had just gotten into a car accident a few days before that totaled my car. It was pretty intense. So Dillon and I had a quiet evening of watching TV, hanging out with his brother and the dogs. I also had to open the bar the next morning so there was no crazy party going to happen anyway but still, I usually would have done more. It was an okay night but I was in no way looking forward to a better year since 2009 basically sucked!!

Well this time, looking back, I've had an amazing year. It's great how you can start the year feeling pessimistic and end up with, well, a glowing feeling at the end of the year. This year we started out living in Houston and working at a bar, really just waiting for the call for Dillon's job. Well, we got that call in June and everything changed on July 19th. We moved from Houston and Dillon started his training. My wonderful parents took me in so that Dillon could go to OKC and focus and I could basically spend 3 months traveling and playing Monopoly City with my Mom (the most wonderful game ever!). After an exhausting search we found a place to live in Abilene and moved there on October 19th. Come to think of it, the 19th was basically moving day for us this year. Now, we're living in the exciting town of Abilene and Dillon is doing amazing at this job. He's found the job he was meant to do and it's so fun to see that playing out for him.

With so many exciting things this past year (have I used the word exciting too much in this post) I'd have to say that the most exciting is obvious. We got engaged!! It's great because I have learned something, I got what I always wanted. I always said that I not only wanted to know I wanted to say yes but that I wanted to be more excited about being married than the wedding. Well, I got that! It must be meant to be!

So now we all know what 2011 will bring. It might not be a wedding yet (you all may need to wait until 2012) but it will bring wedding planning and hopefully a job for me to help pay for that wedding. Happy New Year everyone and cheers to you for a great 2011!!

Hooray!

2010-12-26T10:30:00.002-06:00

What a great way to spend the holidays! As many of your already know I am engaged! Dillon asked on Wednesday the 22nd of December and it was great. We went to exchange Christmas presents and I gave him the complete box set of the television series The Wire, little did I know that was a completely small gift compared to his plan. Then he handed me a massive box wrapped in bright red paper with a big green bow on it. I ripped off the paper and started digging through the massive amount of packing peanuts enclosed to try and find what I then thought was probably a gift certificate or an ipod maybe at the bottom of the box. I kept digging and just wasn't finding anything. He then asked me "Oh, is it not in there? Where is it?" My response was something about trying to find it and I must be missing it in the box. His next response was "Oh, wait, that's because it's right here!" He then pulled out the box and opened it. He asked me, with a huge grin on his face, to MARRY HIM! Then the cutest thing was he said, oh wait, sorry, and then got down on one knee and asked me again! That was so great.

So, obviously, with the picture of the ring below I said yes. I'm in love with the ring, it's the 3 diamond style in white gold. The stones are princess cut because he always calls me his princess and he thought that's what they should be. I honestly had no idea that it was happening until he opened the box. It didn't come in a regular ring box so when he pulled the box out I thought it was maybe earrings or a necklace. He said that I starred at the box for a while but I really don't remember just sitting there. I remember saying yes and it all happening so fast!

So now we're enjoying the holidays with our families and we'll start making plans in the new year for what we are going to do and when. I can't believe it's finally here and it's going to be so much fun to plan our wedding now! Check out the ring below!!

I Know Them!

2010-12-13T13:07:00.003-06:00

I'm so proud! Check it out, Matt and Melina's restaurant and food truck made it to the Wall Street Journal! They've been working their butts off getting this going and creating a huge following so check it out. They are so the people that I will someday get to say "I know them!" Well, maybe sooner than someday, maybe today!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704008704575638842201629742.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA

Oh Phone, Please Ring

2010-12-09T15:19:00.003-06:00

I seriously don't think that I've starred at a phone this much since the last time I was waiting for a guy to call! We've been in Abilene since October 19th and I am still at this point basically a housewife. I've been applying for jobs since we first got here and I can't seem to get a call back. I really don't understand, I have a great resume and am a hard worker. Basically, I'm trying to stare at my phone and will it to ring. Too all the people of Abilene...call me for a job, please!

Lemongrass and Mirin!!

2010-11-17T17:36:00.002-06:00

So apparently no one in Abilene uses lemongrass. While unemployed I've been having fun cooking in the kitchen. I figure while embracing my domestic-ness (I'm making up my own words too) I should have some fun with my cookbooks. It also has an added bonus of saving us money because it's always cheaper to cook at home rather than eating out. Well last Christmas my sister in law Connie gave me a cookbook called Cook Yourself Thin and I'm loving cooking out of it. Last night I made a healthy chicken parmesan with thin zucchini strips as 'pappardelle' pasta rather than eating it with regular pasta. All I can say is amazing! Well another dish I choose to make from this book is a dinner of fresh homemade spring rolls and sesame peanut noodles. This is actually what I'm making tonight. Well, for this dish I needed some fun ingredients like rice paper, lemongrass and fresh ginger. I don't think that lots of people know how to use fresh ginger and having only worked with it once before I'm one of those people. I do have to say though that I think it sounds cool that I'm cooking with it! Well to make this dish I also needed something call mirin and lemongrass. So after not finding it at my local Albertson's I set out on a mission to find them (I also needed to find the rice paper). After 3 more grocery stores around town I did find the rice paper but apparently no one sells lemongrass or mirin. I guess this is just going to be part of living in a smaller town. In Houston I think I would be able to find most of the ingredients at the local stores but here, not so much! Oh well, I do need to say thanks to Connie though for the fun dinners we've been having thanks to her getting us this cookbook. Love you!

Happy November

2010-11-11T18:34:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that it's already November! This year couldn't be zooming by any faster. We are now living in Abilene. We haven't done a whole lot here yet, mostly I've been getting us moved in and job hunting while Dillon gets settled into his job. Their aren't alot of prospects here but I'm sure I'll find something eventually. Our apartment is nice which is a big help and I've been having fun making lots of dinners in the kitchen. Isn't that what I'm suppose to do as the house-

girlfriend I am right now? I should be on the show Real Housewives of Abilene, wait, no one would watch that! Well for now, I'm trying to enjoy playing around with this whole domestic woman thing until I'm back in the working world. I have even started doing yoga in my living room. Really I think that I might need a personal trainer to qualify for one of those TV shows. Oh, and lots of velour track suits that have been bejeweled and money to shop for lots of things that I don't need. I think that I'll be able to do without.

Well, that's it for now. I thought I'd share a photo that I love from my cousin Charlotte's wedding...

Finalizing Details

2010-10-13T11:10:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Things here have been going so fast! I can't believe at this point I'm about to move to Abilene, Texas in less than a week! I really thought that 3 months in DFW at my parent's house was going to feel like a long time. No, it's not because it's me living with my parents again, I'm have a blast getting to hang out with my Dad and playing an endless amount of games of Monopoly City with my Mom. I have to note here that I am the champion of Monopoly City!! Back to real life though...I guess all of the traveling I've been doing has made this go by super fast.

Well last Thursday (I'm skipping over a whole trip to Chicago but that post will come later with pictures) Mom and I went to Abilene to find Dillon and I a place to live. Dillon and I had gone once before but had no success. After putting Mom through hours of house hunting and endless miles of driving around with me, we were unsuccessful in finding a house to rent. I should say we did find a cute home for only $800 a month but they wouldn't rent to us because we're not married and I am unemployed. Can't help but the the bible belt did approve of us living in sin together but whatever! So we switched our efforts to apartments. We found a great apartment called The Reserve at Abilene. It was built in 2008 so it brand new, has granite countertops, a washer and dryer and the complex has a sand volleyball court! The one sad thing is that now that we're in an apartment that dogs will have to stay in Houston with Dillon's Dad. :-( I'm really sad to not have our babies but it would be cruel to take them to an apartment when they are use to a house with a big backyard they can play in.

So now Dillon and I have made our plans and it looks like we'll be headed to Abilene on Tuesday (10/19). Today he takes the first part of his PV followed by the second part tomorrow and after that he'll be an air traffic controller! On Friday he and Evan will head back down to Texas (they are very excited about this) and my parents are throwing them a small party to celebrate their graduation. My parents are the best! We'll be down to Houston on Saturday to pack up the final things and headed out Monday night. Dillon will be driving the massive 24 foot budget rental truck, can't say I'm sad that Dillon will be driving this instead of me.

I'll follow soon with more!

The Great Grapevine/Colleyville Flood

2010-09-08T16:33:00.006-05:00

Well I thought by moving away from Houston I was getting away from tropical storms and hurricanes. Apparently this is not the case though, they are chasing me. Yesterday and today we had a huge amount of rainfall from Tropical Store Hermine (pronounced "her mine" not "her mine e" like Harry Potter). As I learned from Tropical Storm Allison and a few others in Houston, tropicalstorms drop a HUGE amount of rain. Between all of these bands of storms we got around 6.25 and 6.5 inches of rain in less than 36 hours! This means huge flooding in the area and it was really cool to see so close. I should say it's cool for me because all of my stuff is fine but that's not the same for everyone. The pool in my parents' backyard almost overflowed!

I thought I would share some pictures take by Dad and I. These are right by our house along Pool Road.

America's Favorite Food Truck Giveaway

2010-08-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

America's Favorite Food Truck Giveaway

So Matt and Melina are up to it again! Their food truck, The Gaztro-Wagon has been nominated. You can vote up to 10 times a day for them so help support. Voting ends September 10th. Please help me support them, Matt's food is awesome!

Changes!

2010-07-23T11:44:00.003-05:00

Well it's been awhile since I've posted anything on here and I would say it's because I've been so busy with everything but as we all know I am pretty bad about keeping up with this blog. So now it's time to update everything.

I'll start with I don't live in Houston anymore! Dillon's job as an air traffic controller finally started! He will be in training for 3 months in Oklahoma City and I am up here for the week to help get him and his brother settled in their house. It's been funny. I've never been the housewife (maybe housegirlfriend is better) but I'm having fun. I've been unpacking things for them, making lunches for them to take to the academy and making dinner at night. Don't worry, this is not a permanent thing for me, I'm going to get bored really fast with it but it's fun for the week. On Sunday I'm heading back to Colleyville where I will be living for the next three months with my parents. Back in the nest! I think much of the time will be spent drinking wine and playing Wii with my Mom when she's town. In October we'll be moving to the lovely Abilene, Texas. It's a smaller town, about 130,000 people which will be a big change for two city mice! It's a new adventure though and should be fun for the 2-3 years we will be there. After that we can apply to move anywhere in the country we want to! That includes Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands so who knows where we will end up.

As for my business, I will be moving it to Abilene. For the next three months I'm going to try and work on drumming up business in the metroplex suburbs and trying to learn the market there and in Abilene. So if you know anyone getting married in any of those places let me know!

At restaurant show, street food is cause du jour :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Food

2010-05-26T11:30:00.001-05:00

I can't begin to talk about how proud I am of my friends Matt and Melina in Chicago. Matt's created a movement for mobile cuisine in the city and it's

being recognized all over town! Below is a link to the article in today's Chicago Sun Times all about Matt and his company. Check it out!! Below that is my favorite picture from their wedding! Can you find me????

At restaurant show, street food is cause du jour :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Food

A Bright Spot Wedding

2010-05-02T18:57:00.007-05:00

April was a crazy month filled with wedding madness. Bright Spot Events had a wedding on April 24th for a great couple in Rockport, Texas (near Corpus Christi). Everything went perfect and most importantly the bride and groom were super happy!! I have to send out a huge thank you to my Mom for coming in and saving my day! My planned assistant for the wedding had a family emergency the week before the wedding and I was going a bit crazy trying to figure out what I was going to do. Being the wonderful person that she is, my Mom stepped in and flew down to Corpus Christi that Friday and spent the weekend with me as my assistant. I have to say, it's a bit funny to introduce her to people as "my assistant for the weekend, Laurie." She also took some great pictures of the setup process and I've included a few here. Notice the tied ribbon around the napkins and the chair sashes...those were a result of hours and hours of work by she and I. She may never want to help me again, I worked her until her feet bled!!

Below is the link to my Bright Spot Blog for anyone who wants to read more about this colorful wedding.

Thoughts On A Bright Spot

THANKS MOM!!!

A New Car!

2010-01-26T12:41:00.002-06:00

Well I have had many requests for photos of my new car so here she is. I bought a 2008 Scion xD. She's so cute, has great gas mileage and as Pam from The Office would say, has lots of cup holders! I think that she looks like she's smiling in the front too! I'm such a girl! I have to throw a shout out to my Carmax salesman. She's awesome so thanks Griff!!

Goodbye Car

2010-01-10T18:42:00.004-06:00

Well I'm sad to say that my car has passed away. PJ the Jetta has been a good car but on December 27th she was rear-ended and pushed into another car, essentially we were smashed. So now we have said goodbye to a great car that saw me through many times of my life. She was the first car that I ever actually purchased and so I am said to see her leave me. Below are some photos of her at the junkyard when we said goodbye

So now I'm in the market for a new car. I've been shopping for one at Carmax so I can get something used and affordable. Guess we'll see what happens and I'll go ahead and post what I get when it's done.

Questions about Mankind

2009-11-21T14:03:00.002-06:00

I need something explained to me. Why do some people feel that waitresses and bartenders are a lower level of people. I'm working at Stag's Head Pub and I had two things that happened at my shift last night that I just don't understand. First was at a table of two older gentlemen. Really we're talking about over 60 and they sat down and ordered a pitcher of beer. They started talking to me and asked me what I really do. I didn't understand at first and I asked them what they meant. They said "you know, besides this?" Basically they wanted to know what else I do besides waiting tables because heaven forbid this is what I do for a living. Now I know that I do have something else besides this that I do but still, it would be an insulting question and I think that it's wrong to ask.

The second thing was something that really pissed me off and made me really feel that a majority of people in this world really have no sense of what's right and what's wrong. So I worked a party last night at the bar that was a charity poker tournament. 36 or more guests all with separate checks, all arriving at the same time. I took credit cards to open tabs with most of the guests but there were a few that I didn't get in the rush of things going on. At the end of the night the hosts of the event were sitting at one of my tables having drinks and eating some dinner. I approached them to find one of their guests that I couldn't find that had opened a tab with me and ordered two pitchers of beer. This guest was one of their friends and they tried to call him. They asked me what he had and how much the tab was for. I explained how much the tab was for and that if he didn't pay it I would have to pay for it out of my tips for the evening. Well they asked for their tabs and paid and left. Technically I can't force them to pay for the tab since it was not theirs and I didn't get the credit card in the insanity of last night. Still though, if it was one of my friends I would pay for it and make my friend pay me back, especially if the waitress told me that she would have to pay for it if my friend walked. It's just wrong. I don't understand why they were so apologetic about the situation but still didn't take care of it. So in the end, I bought this guy 2 pitchers of beer. What jerks they all were!!

Thanks Best Buy Warranty

2009-11-14T17:43:00.003-06:00

So the Best Buy warranty has finally done me right. After numerous repairs and weeks at a time without my computer they have finally junked it out. That means - they gave me a credit for the purchase price on my computer and I've got a new one. The best part is that the prices have changed since my last purchase so I got a new MacBook Pro for only $21 more than the credit / junk out price! It's a beautiful computer and I'm so in love with it! Now I've spent pretty much most of the day loading in software and updating the operating system. Next step...loading in all of my 29 gigs of files, music, movies and photos. That's going to take forever! Can you guess what my Sunday is going to consist of??

Great News

2009-11-13T12:56:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone! Great news! I booked another bride. I actually booked her a few weeks ago but this is the first that I can get to writing about it. My dear friend Jill recommended me to one of her coworkers who is getting married and she hired me to be her planner. She booked my partial planning package which is my second biggest package! I'm really excited about the plans for this wedding and it's going to be a big challenge. They are getting married on July 10th, 2010 in El Campo, Texas which is about 1 1/2 hours away from my house. They are inviting 600 guests (no that's not a typo) and are expecting about 400 so this is really going to be a huge project for me but that's a great thing. They had already booked a venue which is the El Campo civic center which is basically an old Kmart that has been renovated. They did do a good job on the renovations but the space all tile (linoleum) floors and big white walls. We're gonna need lots of fabric to keep it from echoing and lots of color. I can't wait to make it happen though. Wish me luck!

PS - all of my friends are on notice - I'll be needing 2 to 3 assistants free for the weekend but you'll be paid and I'll take care of the hotel rooms and expenses while there. Any volunteers???

Chicago Trip

2009-09-30T12:37:00.003-05:00

So I never posted anything about my amazing trip to Chicago to see the girls! It was a blast and just what I needed. I can't put into words how great it felt to see Melina and Doni. We spent the weekend hanging out. We cooked, we went to the Chicago Air Show which was awesome, hung out at a block party Chicago style, went to Busia's Pub and surprise, surprise...I pierced my nose. It was so much fun. I've wanted to get this piercing for a long time but have always worked corporate so it hasn't been an option but now I can. The girls paid for it as a very early birthday present and I love them for it. Below are some pics from the weekend.

New Job

2009-09-25T19:15:00.000-05:00

I started a new job today! I am gainfully employed!! I started working at the Stag's Head Pub here in Houston. I'll be working as a waitress and eventually bartender. The atmosphere is really relaxed and casual. I get to wear jeans and tee-shirts or tank tops with gym shoes to work. Total turn around from wearing suits every day to the ICON. It's so nice. Since it's a pub we serve some fun English specials like Guinness steak pie, bangers and mash and more. I haven't gotten to try anything yet but I can tell you it looks and smells really good. My biggest worry - the beer. Lots and lots of different types of beer on tap and by the bottle. I have some studying to do. Can anyone tell me the difference between an ale and a lauger? Why don't I drink more beer??? Check out the website below...

http://www.stagsheadpub.com/

2009-09-23T12:19:00.003-05:00

So it's been along time since I've blogged. Guess I've been lazy. I have lots of things to talk about but I think I'll focus on the things people have been doing for my friend Misty. Misty has breast and kidney cancer and is fighting a hard battle. She's just about to finish her first round of chemo but then has 2 more rounds after that and they are going to be rough. After that is radiation treatment. I can't believe that this is happening to a friend of mine. She's only 31 and it's just not fair to see it happen at such a young age. She strong and a fighter though so I know she's going to beat this. Two weeks ago some of her friends threw a tailgate fundraiser at the Texan's home opener game. They raised a bunch of money and we had a blast with the beer and bbq!

Chi-City!

2009-08-14T14:09:00.002-05:00

I'm in Chicago!! Can't believe that it's finally here. I'm flying a bit under the radar and visiting friends in the city. We've got all kinds of fun plans for the weekend starting today with getting Doni and Melina's tattoos redone to look more like mine. After that it's a block party tomorrow and then a party Sunday at a friend's apartment overlooking Lake Michigan for the air show. The planes apparently fly right between the buildings! I'm actually listening to them do what I'm guessing is practicing and it's amazing and loud. It's gonna be a great weekend. I'll post pictures when I get home and my liver recovers from what is sure to be an all out assault on it this weekend!

Home Alone

2009-08-05T20:50:00.002-05:00

So to start this off I should mention that I normally live in a house with my boyfriend Dillon and our house has a bungalow behind it where his brother Evan and their dad lives. Once you through little Hula in the mix we have quite the bustling household, always someone to talk to. Well this summer Mr. Dubay (Dillon's Dad) has been in Georgia and now the boys are off visiting him there and I have the house all to myself. It's weird and quite. I'm not use to being by myself like this. On the one hand it's kind of nice, just me and Hula but I can't imagine if I had to live alone again. It's only for a few days so it's going to be good but I know that I'll be happy to see Dillon when he gets home to me.

On another note, they're in Georgia doing their final testing to become and air traffic controller! We'll know tomorrow if he gets his offer letter and where we'll be placed. Can't wait!! I'll update as soon as I know something!

What's in a Name

2009-07-27T18:06:00.002-05:00

Well I have an announcement to make...I'm officially opening my own business! I've decided to open a event planning business of my own in Houston. The reason for the title of my blog...I don't have a name yet. As I'm finding out this is hard! Not only does it need to be something creative but it also can't already have been used or have an email address that's been used yet. Everything that I've thought of so far has either been used or already has a website so those are out. Once I figure this out I can get an accountant, file my paperwork, create a website and all of the other things that go along with opening a business. It's alot of work but exciting! Hopefully I can figure out a name soon so I can get started. In the mean time if any of you have any ideas for a name (all three followers I have) please send them my way! Keep in mind I don't want to use the word weddings in my name because I don't want to limit myself to just weddings. Cheers!

Time for a Trip

2009-07-25T23:29:00.006-05:00

Well back in February I was in Florida for Doni's bachelorette party and it was a blast. On the way home the airline was overbooked and looking for volunteers to take another flight and giving a $300 flight credit as compensation. I've always thought about doing this and seeing as I wasn't too hung over from the craziness that are my friends I did it. I'm happy to say I finally decided to use it (well not too "finally" but I only had 1 year to use it)! On August 13th I head up to Chicago to see my girls again! I can't wait! I haven't seen Melina and Doni since I lost my job and I really have been dying to. They've been bugging me about using the credit to come up and visit them so they can see me and take care of me so after some nudging from my Mom and Dillon I decided to go. It's the weekend of the airshow which will be a blast. So now I know I will have 3 wonderful days in a city I love with my best ladies and I know that it will be not only therapeutic but fun. Below are pics of my ladies!

Office Space

2009-07-17T22:32:00.003-05:00

It's date night tonight. Free date night that is. Dillon and I are going to the River Oaks Theatre to see Office Space and to top it off we have free passes to get into the movie. Gotta love free. I can't wait to see this movie on the big screen. I don't think that I saw it on the big screen when it first came out and this theatre will be fun because they it's an old one that's been in Houston ages and they show these kind of movies at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. An even bigger bonus...they have a bar! Something I like to partake in but not tonight. Gotta save the money and it would take away the definition of "free date night." In addition to the movie we also spent some time in the backyard today spraying Hula with the hose (also waters the grass at the same time) and then I turned the hose on Dillon. This, as it turns out, was not the best idea. I forgot that Dillon is much stronger than me and I would have no chance to try and keep the hose from him when he decided it was his turn to attack me. Therefore I ended up soaked from head to
toe. It was fun though and Hula thought it was the most fun thing ever. Anyway, off to get ready for the movie!

Interview Past

2009-07-15T23:22:00.002-05:00

Well today was interview day and in some ways it was good and in some ways it wasn't. It started out fine with the manager asking me why I was interviewing for this position and basically telling me that he was going to skip the basic interview questions he usually give to people who are applying for "bookseller" since from my resume it didn't seem that I was someone he needed to make sure would show up for work. We talked about why I was applying for this position because he wanted to talk with me about the cafe manager position that was open. It was flattering and he said that with my experience he could see hiring me for the position and developing me into more management with the company. This seems great but really right now I need to focus on wedding planning. So from here I'm waiting for the other manager to call me to interview for a bookseller position. I guess for now this means that I don't have a part time job but hopefully I'll be hearing from them soon. In the mean time - Starbucks. According to their website you get a free pound of coffee every week! Oh and they offer health benefits. Details.

Interview Day!

2009-07-15T09:53:00.003-05:00

Well today I have a job interview. I applied last week to work at Barnes & Nobles and after not hearing anything by yesterday I stopped and an spoke with the manager. Next thing I know I have an interview today with them at 3:00. As Dillon predicted after looking at my resume they asked me to interview for the Cafe Manager position. This would be fun and it's nice to hear that they want me to talk with them for more that a book seller or a barista position but I don't want that kind of responsibility right now while I'm trying to make this wedding planning thing work. We’ll have to see how it goes but hopefully they don’t run me through too many interviews and soon I’ll be the newest B&N employee. A great thing too…they offer health insurance to their part time employees!!! I’ll update when I know more.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T21:02:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July! Today has been a relaxing day just chillin' at my parents house in the pool and cooking on the grill. Now it's time to watch the USA soccer game - we're up 2-0 at half time! Then maybe some Texas hold'em poker if everyone feels up for it. My niece Emily has been having a fun day and got to get into the pool to splash around in once the sun wasn't shining directly on it. It was great to see her. She loved the pool and giggled away! Anyway, I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Back Home

2009-06-22T19:12:00.002-05:00

Back home from Cancun! It was a blast and a bit crazy. Lot's of work mixed in with some play. We got in on Wednesday and went off to Cosco in Cancun and let's just say that it looks exactly like the Coscos here in Houston. The only difference is the difficulty trying to remember words like juice in Spanish and the crazy prices since everything is in Pesos so generally take everything and multiply it by 10 or 13 depending on which store you are at. We worked lots but had some free time Friday late morning to enjoy the beach and the waves. It was so nice. Our suite looked over the pool and the ocean and when you walk down to the beach an attendant follows you to a beach chair which he covers with a towel, then put's one down for your head as a pillow and another at the foot of the chair to use to dry off. Then there is a little flag you raise any time you want them to come by to get you a drink or something to eat! That would be how I managed to somehow order a margarita that costed $23 american dollars. Didn't realize that until later but in hindsight it was an amazing margarita and goes with the great memory of sitting in front of this amazing blue water at the Ritz Carlton in Cancun.

After this wonderful hour and a half we were off to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding the next day. It all went great and in the end we had an amazingly happy bride and groom. It was a long and busy 5 days with not a lot of down time but a great experience. Now I'm dying to go back someday when I'm on vacation. Can't wait! Good to be back home though, I missed my Dillon.

Off to Cancun

2009-06-16T22:30:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I'm off to Cancun. We've got a great wedding at the Ritz Carlton, Cancun and I'm excited to see it. It's gonna be a really busy but hopefully we'll be able to find some time to spend on the beach and sip a few frosty frozen cocktails. We'll be there until Sunday so I'm sure that we will! Attached is a photo - it's hard work but I guess someone has to do it and I have to learn about destination weddings somewhere. If it's the Ritz then it's the Ritz!

Wish Me Luck

2009-06-11T21:06:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is my first official client meeting as a wedding planner! I've booked my first wedding and we have a meeting tomorrow to sign the contract, put down the deposit and go over all of the details. I can't wait! Hopefully things will go great and I'll be set and ready to go. Everyone send me good vibes!!!

Hula and Me

2009-06-08T20:23:00.003-05:00

So I'm finally reading Marley & Me even though my Mom gave it to me long before the movie came out. It's great book and it's already made me cry once! Now I'm constantly comparing Hula to Marley and it's making reading the book even more entertaining. Hula's much smarted that Marley though. Recently we got a doggy door in the laundry room of our house for her since she seems to get some kind of joy from continuously making us get up and down from the couch to let her in and out so she can wander. Well our laundry room is conveniently located right next to our kitchen. By putting this dog door in the laundry room Hula now has figured out she can come in her door, take something from trash can she wants and then sneak right back out of her door. She's pretty smart. We've been finding all sorts of things she sees as delicious mo
rsels of trash out in the backyard devoured by her and we can't catch her doing it. Guess it's time to invest in a trash can with a lid! Here's another picture of our crazy girl! This was when she was younger and I think it adorable with my baby Dillon!

Wedding Weekend Craziness

2009-06-06T11:02:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a busy weekend. Yesterday was the Ruiz wedding at the Crystal ballroom and it was beautiful. The lighting in the room made it so warm and nice inside and I just have always loved the look of the Crystal Ballroom. What's funny is it brought back tons of memories of when I did the Houston's Best Martini Competition there when I was in college. Definitely fun memories!! Today I'm off to the Aquarium for the Robert's wedding. This wedding has crazy decor and lots of details. It's going to be right on that borderline between gaudy and unique. I'm hoping that Sam kept her at unique with her peacock feather themed wedding. Sam's got great taste and style so as long as things go as planned no worries. After today I'm going to be exhausted and ready to crash. I'll updated later as to how everything goes. Everyone pray for no bridezilla today!!

How is it stood for??

2009-06-02T22:17:00.003-05:00

If insurance companies ruled the world and operated it like they do their companies would anything ever get done? Would everyone hate each other? Would you just spend all day, every day on endless phone calls and automated systems?? After the last two days I think so. I was rear ended a week ago and am now lost in the system of insurance adjustors, heathcare companies, doctors visits and automated phone systems. I think that if I was asked for my claim number or date of birth one more time I might have screamed! Why also do they want you to say it to a machine rather than enter it into the phone? That never works!! I don't think I have much of an accent and it doesn't understand me. How does it understand people from another country or with a deep south accent? It just doesn't make any sense.

After all of this craziness it seems that since my car had no damage from being rear ended the insurance company doesn't seem to want to think that I could have been injured. It seems as though they would believe me that I was injured if their had been car damage and then had to pay more money out to fix me and my car! Apparently they think that my neck hurting could have been the cause of something else I did between getting hit and going to the doctor. They operate under the assumption that I'm lying!! I can commit a crime and be presumed innocent until proven guilty but I can't be assured payment for medical treatment from someone's insurance company until I can prove it was from them. I'm assumed guilty!! Well, off my soapbox for now! Time for some valium, ibprophen and drift away into a drug induced sleep. Sounds like my kind of night! I leave with the question I started with - how is it stood for??

Time to Relax

2009-05-29T16:54:00.002-05:00

It's a beautiful day and Dillon and I are in Galveston! We're here for Dimi's restaurant opening at Pier 21. It's called Olympia at Pier 21. I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see her and what she's done tonight. I was down in Galveston for a day with my Mom a few weeks ago and it looked amazing so I can't wait to see what it's like now. Dillon and I spent the day walking around on the beach and playing in the water. Tonight's the party and then more beach time tomorrow. We're gonna check out this neat looking bar on the seawall called Float that has a bar with live music and a pool you can hang out in to cool off. Sounds like fun to me. Great Galveston weekend!!!

Schooling

2009-05-26T10:10:00.002-05:00

So time flies when you're unemployed! It's been just over a month since I lost my job and believe it or not I've been crazy busy. I've been working with a friend and her wedding planning business and learning alot. It's been fun though and I'm really looking forward to booking my first wedding that's mine! We've got some leads so hopefully that will happen sometime soon. Until then I've really enjoying working with Sam and I'm learning everything I can from here. Well I'm off to change for a lunch meeting and then projects, projects, projects!!

Sadness

2009-05-07T19:29:00.003-05:00

Well bad news came in today about my friend Misty. She was diagnosed with breast cancer today. It's scary for me so I can't imagine what she's feeling like right now. Misty is one of the nicest, most genuine people that I know and I just don't understand why this is happening to her and don't think it's fair. Tomorrow she has surgery and then will start radiation treatment. Really that's all I know as of yet but I know that she is such a strong person and if anyone can fight through something like this she can. Attached is a photo from Jenny's bridal shower. Misty is on the far left side.

A Moment in the Workforce

2009-04-26T10:04:00.003-05:00

Well yesterday I found myself feeling more like a human. I've realized that working and having things to do make me feel like a person. My friend Samantha owns her own company as a wedding planner and I went and helped her with a wedding yesterday. It was nice to see that I think I could be good at that and enjoy it. The day was long, 12 hours, but that's never something that's bothered me. It would be nice to be in charge of my own future and run my own life instead of having to listen to another corporate company. I just really realized from this last job that I don't want to have to do what someone else says all the time and play the corporate game. I guess I have to decide if I want to take the risk from here. I also still need to look at what is out there and see what the world has to offer. We'll see though, here's to weddings!!! Anyone know someone who wants to get married!

Pain

2009-04-23T16:30:00.002-05:00

Dillon and I have decided that we want to do an intense workout system and after scouring the infomercials we found P90X. We ordered it off ebay and it finally arrived all the way from China today. (Gotta save a buck without a job so I'm sure it's an illegal copy) This system is made up of 90 days worth of hour long workouts. The first day today was chest and back workout. After Dillon and I doing it today I think that we will either be ripped in 90 days or dead. Can't believe that I could be in this much pain when it's only been a few hours since I worked out! I don't even want to think about tomorrow morning!! At the moment Dillon is passed out on the couch from it! So anyway, we didn't take any official pics or anything for before and after but hopefully our afters are going to be great and not just us in pain and laying their!

Long Time No Post

2009-04-22T16:18:00.003-05:00

So it's been a long time since I've blogged on here. Part of that was due to my computer being in the shop getting fixed twice and part because I just got lazy about it. Well now I guess I have plenty of time to do this. Monday afternoon I was called into my HR department at the hotel and laid off. Even though we knew there was a lot of this going on in the hotel I still was surprised since I was closing sales and doubled the number of weddings we were doing this year over the last year. So now I'm at home and pretty bitter about it but in the end I'm hoping everything is going to turn out all right. Until then, anyone who lives nearby give me a call and we can get together, I've got nothing but time! We're drinking at home though cause it's way cheaper!

Besides all of this craziness it was a fun last month with my friend Doni's wedding and my friend Chris' wedding. Below is a picture from the wedding. She was a beautiful bride and it was fun being her bridesmaid because we got to pick our own black cocktail dresses. Unfortunately no pics from Chris' wedding because my camera was not working.

Well I'm off for now. If anyone hears about any jobs give me a call!

Layoffs

2009-02-04T21:00:00.002-06:00

Today I experienced the economy and layoffs for the first time. My job is safe, for now anyway, but my coworker Scott is not as lucky. Today, after lunch, I was sitting in the office when he came in and shut the door. He said he has something to tell us (all of the sales managers are in one office with cubicles) they had just laid him off. The silence in the office truly made it feel like someone had died. It was a lot of surprise and apologies, no one knowing quite what to say, after all, does this mean that our jobs are safe since his isn't?

Scott was really the first major layoff we've had in the hotel. Now I know that there are these massive companies laying off thousands upon thousands of people but we are a small hotel with only 135 rooms. Our salaried management staff is not huge and we had really resisted any sort of downsizing. They had also really been preaching for a long time that their were not going to be any layoffs anytime soon and that we were really going to make it work. Well as it turns out, we're hurting worse than I think they are letting us know. I think that I feel the worst about how Scott and I had resorted to joking about layoffs. He and I had decided not too long ago that if they did end up having to cut someone it was going to be one of us and we would claim things off of each others desks that we wanted when the other one left, the biggest for me being his whole desk itself, so much nicer than mine. Well in the end I guess I might get the opportunity now to have that desk but I'd rather have Scott there.

Productivness

2009-02-02T17:18:00.003-06:00

So I've decided that it's sad that I just can't relax like I'd like to. I'm home sick today and all I can think about is what I should be getting done at work. I've always been the type of person who wakes up in the morning and thinks about the things I need to do during the day and what I need to accomplish. Today I woke up and took a shower thinking about what I needed to do today and it just wasn't going to happen. Even though I've been sick I still can't stand that I haven't gotten anything accomplished or been productive today. I'm hoping that by doing some things on the computer, such as this, I'll feel better. I guess we'll see.

PS - Happy Birthday Melina!!

Mothers of Brides, Mothers of Grooms

2009-01-25T21:45:00.002-06:00

I know it's a cliche but I really never understand why some Mothers try and make weddings about them. Now the bride that I had this weekend was a completely unorganized mess and don't get me started on her "day of" wedding planner that was non-existent, but their is helpful and their is overbearing. The Mother of the Bride kept changing everything that the bride would do and setup because she didn't like the way it looked. This meant the Bride kept getting more stressed out and frustrated, not to mention the fact that it made things take forever and I was moving tables and thing around which I do not normally do. That's what my houseman does and he wasn't scheduled in until later. Now once the reception started usually things should run pretty smoothly, especially if you've planned things correctly but the mother continued to pull their respective children aside to complain to them about the other mother and what she was doing. Mainly the fight was over the DJ and what type of music he was playing. One mother wanted slow and jazzy while the other mother wanted more upbeat and modern. This was all different from what the bride and groom had given to the DJ in their list of what to play. In the end I know that this is as I said before a cliche, mother taking over the wedding story but this was really the most evident I have seen it. I can't imagine pulling my child away from their reception and party to complain to them and cause problems. The mother of the groom and the groom missed the bouquet toss! I know that my Mom reads this so please remember this story when it comes to my wedding, not that you would ever act like that. In the end...you have class.

Ladies Night

2009-01-18T21:26:00.003-06:00

I love being able to take a night out with a good girlfriend. Their is really nothing like it. Last night Jenny and I met up after I got off work and went out for a nice dinner. It was great, we went to The Grove which is downtown at the new Discovery Green Park, part of Houston's green initiative. It has beautiful tall windows along 3 of the 4 walls overlooking the park and I have to say that the bartender makes a good martini. We had to wait an hour for a table (rockets game across the street and Houston Marathon weekend) but the time flew by. It's just nice to know that no matter what's happening in my life or those few certain close friends lives that you can still treat yourself to a nice night out and a nice meal. It made for a really nice weekend even though I spent half of my Sunday shampooing our couches. The photo attached is from Jenny's wedding and is one of my favorite pics of her and I and it really shows our personality! Anyway, check out the link below to the restaurant...The Grove Restaurant.

Must Love Dogs

2009-01-11T20:53:00.004-06:00

So I went and saw Marley and Me today. Oh my gosh! Can you say sobfest!! My friend Emily and I ventured out in the cold to the movies yesterday and saw it. The beginning of the movie was hilarious and I kept finding myself laughing out loud thinking of Hula. Hula is Dillon's brother Evan's dog that lives with us and she is the most adorable catahula hound dog in the world. She's not quite as destructive as Marley but she definitely has the energy and craziness sometimes. She makes us laugh constantly. At the end of the movie though all I could think about was Jaffe our wonderful cocker spaniel who died a few years ago. I just couldn't contain myself and sobbed once I started thinking about him. Anyway, I love dogs and hopefully someday I'll have another one that's all mine! For the time being here is photo of our little Hula!

Brides, Brides, Brides...

2009-01-10T13:20:00.002-06:00

Back to life as usual. Holiday season is over and it's back to normal days at the office and thankfully no more holiday parties. What I am crawling with is BRIDES. It's not a bad thing though. We're actually really starting to fill up for 2009 and working on 2010. It's exciting and exhausting at the same time. Really it's some of my currently schedules brides that are driving me crazy and are exhausting. I have this one wedding coming up that is really "country comes to town." I don't mean to make fun of them but the bride is 20 years old and her bridesmaids are her sisters who are 16 and 13. I finally got the bride to pick food she wanted to taste for the meal and she brought her sisters with her. They tasted all of the food and then her sisters asked if their was a kids meal we would be serving (chicken tenders and french fries) and if they could have that instead because this food was too much for them. We are a 4 diamond property with an award winning chef so it's a bit weird for people above the age of 8 to be asking for chicken tenders. Then this bride informed me that she had put within her invitation a choice for her guests of chicken, beef or fish. This is NOT something we allow. If we are going to allow a choice of entree that is preselected ahead of time we might do it for less than 100 guests and we would only allow 2 choices, not 3! What I have enjoyed a bit of (an I do feel just a bit bad that I'm enjoying) is that she's now stressed out because of all of the work that it takes when you offer your guests a choice of entree. To do this you have to make sure all of your guests actually respond with their choice filled out and then create a seating chart for then and then create place cards that somehow show our waitstaff which of these entrees your guests are having. As of right now she only has about 50 guests who have actually RSVPed and her guest count is due in 2 weeks. She's estimated to have around 120 guests. This could become interesting! I'll keep this updated!!!

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T18:56:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! Can't believe it's 2009 but it was fun ringing it in. I actually had to work all night at the hotel, we had a huge party in the lobby and then a wedding in the ballroom. A really cute couple getting married and a lot of drunk people downstairs. It's really amazing what people will do out on a night like that. I know I've had some crazy nights of drinking and partying but I really don't think that I've ever been all that bad. Really there was just a lot of stumbling around and falling down. My coworkers and I really enjoyed laughing a lot at them. It was nice though because even though we were working we were joking, laughing, dancing and even had a glass of champagne at midnight. We did have to kick some people out for smoking pot in our Den which amazed my bosses but really, come on, how can that surprise you on NYE!

The amazing part for me was in the wedding. We had all of the guests in the ballroom, seated and waiting for the announcement of the bride and groom and they ended up having to sit and wait. This being at 9PM at night when the guests have yet to have dinner. Turns out the Mother of the Groom decided to stop on the way from the church to get pizza. She held things up for almost 45 minutes! She also got up immediately after being announced and the couple starting there first dance to go out of the ballroom to the bathroom. How can a mother not want to see her son's first dance at his wedding with his new wife?? I just really don't get it! My banquet manager thinks that it was because the couple were from different races and maybe she didn't approve. I hope that this wasn't it because that is so sad; but something was definitely going on.

Well at least after getting done around 130AM I made it out of the hotel and to the bar where Dillon and some of our friends were just in time to have 1 drink before they closed. It was definitely a needed drink after a very long night!

Emily's First Christmas!!

2008-12-25T20:58:00.002-06:00

And Introducing Emily Rhyse and her first Christmas!! Press play she is adorable. I can't believe that something so cute came from our family! I love her lots and lots!!

A New Blog

2008-12-25T16:25:00.003-06:00

So I'm sitting here on Christmas Day in Beaufort, South Carolina with my parent's, brother, sister-in-law and our newest edition my niece Emily Rhyse. We're watching Elf and I'm in a bit of a food coma from ham and corn and spinach casserole and come kind of wonderful cookie dough cheesecake thing that Connie (my sister-in-law) made. I've been looking at my friend's blogs and enjoying their lives so I thought that I might create one of my own. I don't know if anyone is going to want to read it since I haven't done any of those domestic things like having kids to show off but I'm sure I'll have some funny stories to share about planning weddings and things in Houston. As for right now. It's a simple day of just hanging out with family. The baby is beautiful so I've shared a pic! I hope Santa treats everyone great! Merry Christmas!!