The Parador

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The problem with the Parador is that we toured it right after Hotel Zaza.  So when you test drive a Toyota Camry right after a Porsche, it just isn't fair to the Camry.

Toyota Camry's are nice cars.  They are practical, they get the job done.  Roomy and have quality craftsmanship.  I mean, they aren't a Geo Metro or anything by a long shot.  But that Porsche was flipping sweet.

In all actuality, The Parador is much more A and I's speed, because we aren't ultra glam gals about town all the time, we are just average Joes.  The Parador is actually kind of cool in an opposite of boutique hotels way.  It was an old church back in the 1920s, so the building is very vintage style hip, and it has a really awesome domed ceiling.  And the space is really good.  Perfect for the amount of people we want, it isn't nearly as annoying to get to as somewhere downtown.  And it is just one building, and it is all yours.  No other hotel patrons or other parties going on, so that gives it a cool intimate feel.  And the dress I have in my mind that I thought I would like to wear would fit in the setting nicely.  And the location is down the street a little further than Zaza, therefore in second place perfect.  My Mom was ready to put a deposit down on this place after the tour because it is very reasonable price wise in comparison to other places we were looking at.  And really, it is very 'us'. 

On the other hand, the Parador is just about in the scary ghetto: see the map below.



So we don't want to be like 'Welcome to Houston everyone, hope you are packin'...'  (It really isn't that bad, but still)  Location is really the only downside I could come up with.

AND

Stop me if this is so so dumb.  No wait, don't because then I can't say it.  So on Friday when I was at work and talking to my co-workers about our weekend plans, I learn that my co-worker is going to a wedding at the Parador in a couple of months.  So dumb right.  Like 8000 people don't get married everywhere all the time!  But it is like 2 degrees of separation, and I don't like doing stuff that other people do, lol.  I am sure I could get over it just fine, and I know I am being ridiculous, but that sort of made me not want to like it a little bit, so that I could be original.  So dumb.  

But in closing, the Parador is a very nice venue, and I like the style of it a lot.  And I like the price of it a whole lot.  And there are many things about the place that would make life so much easier and conducive to having a great and fun time.  So I suppose we shall see.

Hotel Zaza

Want.  OMG Want.
I know I said I thought I was in love with the Magnolia Hotel, but the Magnolia is like the ex boyfriend who you thought was the one until you really meet the one and realize that before, you had no idea what you were talking about.  I don't know what it is about Hotel Zaza, but that place has got a spell on me.  I can't get it out of my head.  Before I had ever even stepped foot in that place I had already deemed it my dream wedding spot.  And that decision was made well before I was ever engaged. 

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It is so... unforgettable, over the top, trendy, chandaliers out the wazoo, edgy, extravagant, and I could go on for days.  I feel like I could die happy if I had my wedding reception at Zaza.  Dramatic much? lol

Hotel Zaza is in the most perfect and ideal location because it is literally down the street from our church.  And the views are breathtaking.  If we go with the downstairs ballroom we get a view of the fancy fountain, and if we go with the 11th floor ballroom we get an incredible view of Herman Park and downtown.  

Part of me feels like I am not cool enough to have a reception there, lol. 

A sort of poo poo-ed the idea of Zaza at one point because he was under the impression that it was more fancy-trashy with like photos of naked people hanging up and all that animal print.  But when I toured there with my Mom on Saturday, the only weird thing we saw was a painting of a girl and she had a goat's head instead of a little girl head.  I don't know, the decor is very Andy Warhol does Victorian Era.  I just totally am in love with all the chandaliers everywhere.  And the space is big enough for everyone comfortably, which my other favorites haven't been able to provide from what I can tell.  When I told A how amazing the place was, he had a change of heart and switched his No to a Maybe.  He's a good man ;)  So much for that $2000 wedding idea...

Veranda by *17

Don't things with funky characters in the title (*) just seem so cool??
My Mom and I began our Saturday at The Alden Hotel's Veranda by *17
Luckily we got there without too many problems because all of downtown was rerouted everywhere for the Chevron Marathon that was happening Sunday.  Note to self, make sure that isn't happening on the same weekend as the wedding next year...but anyway.

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The Alden Hotel is very cool.  I really need to think of some better adjectives too.  The downstairs lobby is all dark wood and reds - very spicy indeed.  Then you head upstairs to the second floor to the patio/ballroom known as Veranda by *17.  It is basically a giant patio that is enclosed with clear plastic, so you get the feel of outdoors in a climate controlled space.  Perfect for Houston!  There is a really pretty wall with greenery growing through it on one side, and the other side is a tan brick and the tent roof as you can see is all white.  I think it could be done up really nicely in a winter theme with all of that white.  The view is nice as well, but we are only on the second floor, so it isn't like you can see the whole skyline or anything.  Also at The Alden, the food and beverage minimum is much more reasonable than the Magnolia Hotel which is right across the street. 

But with everything, there are downsides.  I think the space will be too small.  Sure, in theory you could cram 200 people in that area, but I am sure people would like to scoot their chair out without bumping into another person's chair.  Also, the set up of where the dance floor would go in order to maximize the space for people to sit is in the corner of the room, and I am not a big fan of that.  I can just imagine if you have to crawl through a tightly spaced sea of tables to even get to the dance area, you may not even bother.  And people need to dance so that I can hide in the group while I am dancing since I am not very good and sort of spazzy looking. 

Aside from the dancefloor and having to cut down on some guests in order to not have a claustrophobia panic attack, The Alden is pretty good.  I could be happy with a reception at Alden.  It is on the maybe list though, but top of the maybe list.

Things that make you go hmmm....

So I made a huge mistake by trolling the internets for wedding blogs.

I found this - http://2000dollarwedding.com/
(and funny side story - Sara and Matt from the blog lived right down the street from us before they lived in Colorado) ((I don't know them, but I learned this from an old blog post on that blog))

I read this blog in almost it's entirety and their wedding looked like so.much.fun.  It was very personal and sweet, and low key, and very DIY.  Then I think, maybe I am going about this all wrong, maybe I should try and have a more personal and reasonably priced reception.  A (and my Mom) is all for us not blowing our life savings, and we have this silly life dream of becoming incredibly wealthy by owning a lot of laundromats - so the money we save could be parlayed into our laundry empire.  It is very tempting.

So now instead of checking out all the hotels and such downtown, should I add parks and public buildings?

A few problems for A and I's situation.
1. We live in Houston.  Sara and Matt lived in Colorado when they got married, so naturally the scenery is incredible.  Houston, not so much - it is all concrete and flat.  Sure we have parks and stuff, so that could work, but A and I aren't really nature people.  We like the inside with air conditioning and no bugs.
2. A and I are pretty set on a January wedding.  Houston weather is really weird in the winter - this time last year there was ice on the road and they were canceling school, this year we can eat lunch on patios and I have hardly turned my heater on at all.  So I would feel uncomfortable doing anything outside during that time.  Also in the Orthodox Church, there are certain times when you cannot get married, including fasting times before Easter and Christmas, so if it isn't January we'd have to wait until May and we are far too impatient for that.  Plus the summer here is totally gross and we don't want to do anything smack in the middle of the school semester.
3. We are getting married at our Church.  This is a blessing in disguise because it narrows reception places down to 20 instead of 100 only because I don't want our guests to sit for over an hour at our wedding then have to drive 45 minutes somewhere for the party.  I guess that is a problem for people living in gigantic cities.  So this limits the options of places to find a super cheap or free venue.  And also, getting married at the church already bumps up the formalness of the occasion as well.  So I would have to incorporate an outfit change if we go from church to a park or something, and I'd rather not have to do that.

I feel like I am talking myself out of a super-budget wedding right out of the gate but I don't mean to.  I think super budget weddings such as Sara and Matt are great if that is your style and personality - and the weird thing is that A and I are totally low key/no frills kind of people.  We don't dress super well, we live in an apartment building that is older than our parents (who are very young, but still ;) ), we drive modest cars, etc.  But when I am doing a one shot thing, my spending style is 'go bold or go home'.  My wedding is one of those times I think.

But then I also think about the 8000 couples whom, after the fact, say that they wish they didn't spend so much money on their wedding.  Money is also a huge source of tension and fighting between couples, so maybe we should consider that as well.  And I totally dig Sara's message of making a good lasting marriage is waaaay more important that one day will ever be, so don't worry about it so much and rock your $15 Target dress.

I don't know what A and I's big day will be like just yet - the amount of different possibilities are overwhelming!  But I think if at the end of the day I am Mrs. A and we are surrounded by family and friends, it'll be all good. :)

Gals about town!

Oh my goodness, Saturday was busy!  Since A opted out of visiting more venues I enlisted my trusty Mom to be my date on the appointments.  My mom is actually the perfect person to take along because she knows like 8000 good questions to ask.  When it is just me, the catering manager or whomever will show me the space, and my response is 'ooh, how pretty' and that is about it.  My mom on the other hand - 'this space seats how many comfortably?' 'where would the buffet be set up?' 'how big is the dance floor?' 'where do the guests park?' 'what color linens are included in the rental?'.  So bringing her along got me mega information that I wasn't sure I even needed!  It was a pretty fun day, we looked at all the venues, ate lunch at Monarch.  Whenever I do something I feel is very hip, I comment 'gals about town!' because I feel like I am in my personal episode of Sex and the City or something, lol.  I guess I don't get out much...  Here is my Mom, enjoying lunch on the patio on this lovely January day in Houston. 

Generic Update

I have nothing really wedding-ish to update about because my meeting with Fr. S at church got postponed because he lost his voice, so that will be getting rescheduled.

So omg, my weekend was fab.

I went to college in Dallas so a lot of my good friends live up there, so I try to visit a few times a year.  The bummer of that situation is that I am usually only there for a weekend or so, and there are so many people that I'd like to visit but I just don't have enough time :(

But anyway - got the the D on Saturday evening and K and I went to Chuy's in uptown and got our margarita on, then we met my friend Ap for drinks, and were out until early hours of the morning like old times.  Then Sunday I went and saw my cousins and their 3 week old new baby who is the cutest little thing in the entire world!  That night we went to an excellent dinner at this hip little place called Bolsa with T&A- which I recommend to anyone if you are ever in Dallas, it was great (but the service is a little slow - still worth it!)  Then after that we met up with my good friend Ryan and his crew at Nola down the street which was way fun.  (Ryan is fancy, so he gets a webpage link)  Then Monday, last day in town we met Ryan and went down to Mockingbird Station and got lunch and walked around before I had to catch my plane.  So we are walking around the West Elm store and Ryan gets a call from his step dad Bill, and says to me - hey, good news - and hands me the phone.  I quickly learn that I am the winner of an iPad from their ad agency!!!!  YAY!!! 
So if you or anyone you know had advertising needs from some super awesome wonderful people, go to
Pink Jacket Creative
or they are on facebook - everyone should go 'like' them!

So that was my whirlwind weekend - I am going to try and get some more appointments going on for the weekend so I have more things to write about soon! :)

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Pre-Anniversary!

Today (January 21) = exactly 1 year until our wedding!  So save the date, y'all.

It was such a busy day - I had to work of course, then afterwards I had to go straight to St. Thomas University for certification training for tax preparation until 9.  And A had class then he was going to a talk by some visiting philosopher at his school in the evening.  So we didn't get to celebrate the day until late in the evening.  We just ended up getting some pizza at Pink's Pizza and cake at the Dessert Gallery.  Everyone in town was crammed into this little dessert store, so we got it to go and ate it and watched TMZ.  

Gigantic Pizza.  It needs 2 plates!

So tomorrow I have another day of training and then I am catching a flight to Dallas to see my best friends ever!  A isn't going because he has class to teach on Monday and lots of work to catch up on.  Plus my bestie scored a buddy pass from her co-worker, so I am flying for free, win!!!  But I am very excited, my bestie is there, and my other very best friend and his wife live there, and my other bff Ryan is in town from Los Angeles.  So fun!

And in wedding news, this coming week on Tuesday I will be meeting with Fr. S from church to find out the process of converting to Orthodox.  And then Saturday I have an appointment with Ashley to tour the ballroom at Hotel Zaza!  Spicy!

Have a good weekend everyone :)

How cute is this?

My wedding avatar, only way thinner and with better hair.  :)

Make your own, it is fun!

Good News!!



My best friend Katrina (and also my MOH) is sooooooooooooooo awesome!  She and my mom and I were all at the Houston Bridal Extravaganza a few weekends ago and we kept seeing all these totally fab linens on tables that were flowers.  I totally cannot describe them with words, but I loved loved loved loved loved them.  So of course while compiling my budget I was trying to figure out how much these bad boys were going to cost.  I checked every linen place's website in town and couldn't find them anywhere!?  And I am certain I saw them at least 4 times at different booths around the extravaganza show.  So of course my heart broke a little thinking that I couldn't find the most perfect linens for my perfect day.  (totally kidding with all the perfect talk, but I was a little bummed).  But what to my wondering eyes should appear?  An email from Katrina, and a link to the elusive satin ribbon rosette linens!!

http://www.wedding-linens.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=114

YAY!!!

Wedding Planner?

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Has anyone used a wedding planner?  My gut is telling me don't do it, because she might fall in love with A and steal him away from me, but also that it may be money better spent elsewhere.  I am thinking about wedding planners today because school started back up for the Spring semester, so I was back to my 14 hour days three times a week.  And even though I have tunnel vision about all things wedding lately, I have a full time job that I need to tend to, 9 hours of classes per week, homework and studying time, catching up on all the tivo-ed shows for the week, time with A, time with the non A friends, keeping up with a super awesome blog, and volunteering through my school to do taxes for poor people.  I am a busy gal!  So I see a wedding planner as being a nice helper who can handle things, though I don't know what things.  And also, wedding planners are always in cahoots with other wedding vendors and can negotiate good deals on my behalf.  But then also, the real life wedding planners are very sassy on tv and all they do is tell the bride she can't spend money on things.  I don't need any help in that department.  And not to float my own boat, but I have had a few successful negotiations go down in my day, so I bet I could do a decent job.  So I don't know, there are good reasons for both options.  If you are pro-wedding planner, or opposed - let me know, knowledge is power!!!

Want!!!

I am not really a Vera Wang gal, I'm more of a Betsy Johnson/Marc Jacobs girl (when I am not a Ross Dress for Less girl) but these are ADORABLE!  I am nuts for bows!!!
These are from the store on www.theknot.com

Is this love?

Next stop on the Open House express: The Magnolia Hotel.
Downtown, and oh so hip.  Who'd have thought I could fall in love twice?!

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We were greeted by super friendly people, had champagne and cake and mini beef wellingtons.  This place would require a little reorganization of the budget, but it would be so worth it.  When you walk in the hotel it is very artsy and bright green, then you head upstairs club level and there is a big open space with all the tables, and a giant bar area, dance floor in the middle.  And there is hip art all over the walls, cool vases all around, and fake tree stumps for cocktail tables.  The wall length window across the back of the room overlooks the Episcopal cathedral next door.  It was just lovely!  My only mini-concern is that with the amount of guest list we are thinking about, we would be pushing the upper limits of the space capacity.  But otherwise, it was so wonderfully great.  There are a few other boutique hotels I want to check out in the downtown area, so I am trying not to get my heart set on anything just yet.  A pretty much thought it was awesome too.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our first serious contender!

Let the venue try-outs begin!

A and I went to our first open house of the venue shopping process,  The Houston Museum of Natural Science.

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This venue was really promising at first.  A and I thought that we could totally out-nerd all our friends by having a reception here.  My main concern was if the place was going to be 'us'.  Don't get me wrong, A and I are nerdy more than anything, but not really science nerdy.  I am kind of math nerdy and A is more nerdy in an intellectual way - like he can beat the pants off of you in Jeopardy! sort of nerdy.  Museums are so hot right now as far as wedding venues go - but perhaps maybe art museums moreso.  Science isn't romantic or weddingy.  Plus the science museum always reminds me of fieldtrips in elementary school.  

So we go to the open house and we are handed a bunch of papers and sent on our way.  Now the only areas available to rent are the Dinosaur area (shown above), the hall of Gems, and the museum foyer.  The Dinosaur area was the only place I would consider, because who wouldn't love shaking their booty under some dinosaur bones?  But if you can see from the picture, there is limited space for tables, let alone a buffet line and a dancing area.  And I think for the amount of people we are looking to invite, the area is too small.  And those dinosaurs are all on platforms so I just thought everyone would feel very separated from one another.  The Hall of gems is nice, but there is bright red carpet all through the place so I hope your color scheme goes with it.  And it is just that, halls.  So kind of a weird setup - I think I prefer more of a ballroom feel.  And the foyer is alright I guess.  The space is big, and I am sure you can pay an event designer to turn it into fabulous, but that is an extra cost to consider.  If not, then you are just there in the entryway, with the banners about the pirate exhibit going on, and the closed McDonalds.  Yeah, there is a McDonalds in the foyer.  Maybe they could cater?  Only kidding. 

Also there is something kind of eerie about being in a museum after closing time.  Very quiet and echo-ish.  Not very warm and celebratory feeling to me. 

So the open house was alright, it took a while for someone to come up and ask up if we had questions or anything.  She was very nice and helpful, but I guess I was just expecting something different.  This was my first open house ever so I didn't know what was going to happen, but I figured it would be much like buying a house or renting an apartment.  Someone is going to try and sell you on this place.  That wasn't happening.  So A and I left, and I was a tad discouraged, I wanted it to be way better than it was.  But what can ya do?  And looking back, the only reason I really was considering it was because the museum is in an ideal location for us. 

So the museum is out, but I am certain one of the other 20 something venues I have my eye on will work out ;)

First things first.

Getting organized is super important if you want to prevent yourself from going into full-on stressed out Bridezilla mode.

A and I have been engaged for about 2 months now.  This happened a week or so before Thanksgiving 2010, so I thought it was best to wait until after all of the holidays before we start stressing ourselves out with wedding planning things.  Well that time is now!

Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to be planning my wedding that I dabbled in all the different areas while the holidays were in full swing.  I mean, I checked out wedding bands (rings, not music), wedding bands (music, not rings), venues, cake makers, photographers, dresses, shoes, rehearsal dinner locales, etc.  So just a few things, no biggie.  And shortly thereafter I began to nearly have panic attacks when I think of everything that needs to be done.  My brain was exploding.

I really wish I were the type of person who can just see something they love, get it, and call it a day.  I am too much of a second guesser.  I can only feel comfortable with my decision after I have seen all things available to me.  And then once I see all things available, I have to go into analysis mode, because though I may not value my time as much as I should, I do value my money - and want to get the most bang for my buck regardless of how many bucks that is.  ie: I'd spend $500 on a gently used Romona Keveza dress from ebay before I'd spending it paying full price for a brand new dress made from polyester and has wonky seams due to mass production quality issues.  But for some people, a white dress is a white dress, and others will pay any price to have their dress bring them to tears because it is so perfect.  I get it though, I mean who doesn't want to look stunning, but it is going to come down to wearing the Carolina Herrera dress and having the party at the airport HoJo?  But if money is no object, by all means, have it all!
Ok back on topic. 

So before I pick colors and bridesmaids and cake flavors I need to figure out two things.

1. The Wedding Mission Statement
2. The Budget

What am I talking about, wedding mission statement?  When I think mission statement, I think of what I want at the very basic level of all of this.  I believe that coming up with a basic goal will help us when making the bazillion decisions we are going to be making during this process.  Especially when making budgetary decisions.  I've seen it all over wedding TV - that brides get so hung up on one tiny detail that they MUST HAVE that has me scratching my head because when you think 'big picture' this thing is a waste of money, or time stressing about it.  Easy for me to say, being on the outside I guess.  But if my goal is to have a day where I am at my most beautiful, I will have no problems serving chicken instead of prime rib while spending my funds on hair extensions, teeth whitening, and a super fierce dress.  And if you can't come up with a good mission statement then at least figure what is most important to your day and make that your focus. 

My wedding mission statement?

It is still a work in progress, but if I had to say right now: I want our wedding to be really big, really fun, and 'us'.
A doesn't have a huge family, and they don't seem to be all that close, but I hope they all can make the trip to Houston for our wedding.  I, on the other hand, come from a Hispanic family, so there are TONS of us.  But I wouldn't want it any other way!  They are all so dear to me, that I couldn't even imagine having such an important day without everyone I love there with us.  And then I want it to be fun.  When I think back to other weddings I have been to - I don't really remember what the bride was wearing (they always look beautiful and are wearing white(or green!)), I don't usually remember where it was unless it was somewhere extra fancy or really unfancy, I don't remember the food unless it was outstanding, I probably threw out the favor I got because it sat in my car for weeks - but I do remember the general amount of fun that I had.  Fun can be traced back to many elements, I know.  But I don't doubt that my analytical side can more or less figure what elements add to the fun of the night.  Fancier dress doesn't add to the fun, but a better DJ does...etc.  And the 'us' sort of goes without saying.  Luckily (or not) A and I are footing the bill for this soiree, so we don't have any pushy decision makers to guide us on how to spend their money (and pressuring us to get stuff that we don't care for).  But 'us'.  I could probably make a pie chart of us more easily, because we are so many things.  We are nerds, we like fancy things but aren't fancy people, we (A way more than myself) are kinda hip, yet also traditional.  So throwing the most important party of my life that is 'us' and super fun and that I can invite everyone I want to - it is going to be a job!  But I am up for it, and I am so happy/thankful that A and I like the same stuff for the most part, so compromising will be minimal.
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I have a dream....it is that cake.






Oh yeah, and the budget.  This is important.  I will make a separate lengthy post on the topic, because I am an accountant and budgets are like my favorite things ever.  lol.  But since A and I are footing the bill, we don't have much of a cushion to go over the budget.  So it is essential to be in the know, and estimate everything we will be buying so we aren't in a situation where we put a non refundable deposit on the ballroom at the St. Regis and don't have money to buy a cake.  The flip side of course is true, I don't want to get the cheap everything because I assume we can't come up with a decent chuck of change to have something nice.  Eating McNuggets in a wedding gown wondering where my life took a wrong turn...
Budgets are a necessary evil.   
But don't let budgets get you down.  Having been a bargain hunter all of my days, I can assure you that nice things can be had at ANY price point.  You just have to be flexible on the nice things and you will go far.  If you absolutely must have that Vera Wang style #8457 dress.  You may have to search a long time to find that dress for $1000, and you may never find it before your wedding day.  But if you have $1000 to buy 'a designer gown' I could probably go find 12 of them for you right this minute.  If you HAVE to have your reception at Hotel Zaza, you may have to serve only cake and punch and have it on a Sunday afternoon, or be prepared to pony up that F&B minimum.  But if you want boutique hotel inside the loop, you have several very equally cool options, and probably equally eager to get your business catering managers willing to negotiate. 
A and I are totally willing to cut back on our spending this year and combined with (if necessary) spending our whole life savings (which isn't a super ton of money...) because we are both graduate students that 2-3 years from now will have some serious earning potential.  Not that we should leave nothing for a rainy day, but if we love something enough, we will consider maxing out the budget.  You only get married (for the first time, at least) once, right?  ((Of course, that is what wedding vendors want you to feel so you give them all of your cash.... ))  Either way, I have mostly gotten our budget together and we are ready to rock.

So yeah, that is that.  Now it is onward to venue selections!

I am going to be a wife!!!

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lol.

And so the journey begins.

Well, it began November 12, 2010, but close enough.  

So I had known A for 3 years, and at this point we spent just about every spare moment together.  A and I had dated for about 4 months when we first met in 2007.  It didn't work out, so we went about our separate lives.  Well a month or two passed and we got to talking again and a friendship formed.  And occasional dinner meetups or trips to the movies turned into seeing one another daily.  And that has been the story for about the last 2 years.  Just friends though. 

Now I, at the time, was 28 years old and single - so I couldn't go 5 minutes without someone asking me when I was going to settle down or at very least find a boyfriend.  So as any late 20's single gal can attest - that was super annoying.  But really, of course I wanted that.  Something with a promising future.  But I was happy.  I liked my job, I was back in school working on my masters degree, I had a great friends, and a great friend A who I love being around.  If it ain't broke, why fix it?  But secretly I really really wanted to be A's girlfriend again, but I was playing it cool.

Well it was a random Friday in November, and A and I had made plans to go to Houston's Nutcracker Market - this giant Christmas craft show they do annually to benefit the Houston ballet.  We are both big fans of Christmas so I thought it might be fun to check it out.  I invited our friends J and M along too.  So we walked around the show, grabbed dinner after and went home.  A and I are neighbors in the same apartment building so we parted ways to our own residences.  Since we are such nerds, we got right on the instant messenger and were chatting - as we do most evenings.  Truth be told, we were chatting and I was being kind of mopey.  A's really good friend Ag got engaged on Monday of that week.  I was over the moon excited for her and her fiance E.  It was a whirlwind romance that went from 0 to 60!  I mean, I think marriage is such an exciting and wonderful life event that is so incredibly special - how could anyone not be excited?!  And weddings are always a blast!!!  But as per usual, whenever another friend or acquaintance gets engaged I always had to wonder 'when is it going to be my turn?'  So I was being a girl about that whole thing, and then I hear a knock on the door.  Mind you, it is about 11pm at night, so I assume I am totally about to get murdered or something... but it is A, and I am totally confused.  What is he doing here?  He hands me a card with on it that reads: You are the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie of life.  And then he gets down on one knee, ring in hand and asks me to marry him.  Wait..., what?  I am stunned, but I say yes.  My wait is over.  And through the next few weeks I learn that A had decided he wanted to ask me a while ago, and was just waiting for a good time to ask.  It was going to be at the Nutcracker Market, but I invited friends along so A decided against it (whoops).  But then A found another opportunity that night for good timing because it got me to quit whining about being single, lol.  Romance is overrated! ;)

So we did things kind of out of order, but we are together and engaged and couldn't be happier!

Now it is time to plan the party!!!