Pilates

It's been forever since I have written on here.  I have been married for almost a year now!  The wedding went well, by the way...now we are prepping to go on a late honeymoon to the UK in June and...hopefully, baby time!  I am sort of baby crazy right now, and worried because I was an idiot and looked at all this stuff on the internet about being over 35 and fertility.  We shall see, I suppose.

The other news is that I started Pilates classes again.  It's been a looooong time since I did it--it was prior to my mother passing away at a place called Precision Pilates.  I didn't really like that studio much and just sort of stopped when my mom died and summer rolled around.  It was far away, and honestly, I didn't have the drive to do anything like that at the time.

Well, flash forward to 2012--broken foot, stupid walking boot, and about 40 pounds later....flash forward to NOW, and I am down about 20 of those pounds due to healthful eating and portion control.  I also kicked my Coca Cola habit, unbelievably..which took some work...I was pretty miserable going through some kind of aspartame withdrawal...and then caffeine withdrawal....and then sugar withdrawal.  I actually felt pretty miserable for a month or two:  migraines, lethargy, mood swings, the whole nine yards.  I can't say I really feel that much different physically, but my skin is the softest and clearest it has literally ever been.  I also have noticed a slight reduction in the amount of migraines that I have...and I am way more sensitive to caffeine and sugar now, when I do indulge.  Generally, I get a migraine the next day if I have too much sugar now!  So, I avoid it, though Easter chocolate made that hard!

At any rate, Pilates.  Well, with the 6/5 schedule, I have the money so I researched Pilates studios in the area and signed up for a really great deal at a place near our condo.  LOVE.  It is the best!  It is a clean, unpretentious, slightly earthy place with excellent instruction (thus far!)  I have gone to about 7 sessions so far and I am sort of obsessed.

I generally come out of class feeling taller, more graceful, inspired, and with clear vision of what I want to achieve.  It sounds corny, but it's true.  I especially love my Saturday morning classes...and those who know me will testify that anything that makes me get up at 7 am on a Saturday HAS to be pretty miraculous.  I find mornings quite upsetting...once, when working at the coffee shop back in the day, I lost the whipped cream container when working the 6 am shift.  I asked my coworker where it was and he must have thought I had lost my mind because it was right in front of  me...

I am eager to be able to do things that I couldn't do before...I can't wait to feel strong.  I have already lost about an inch or two on my hips and about an inch and a half on my waist, too!  Amazing.

twigs and leaves...

So, we've set a date and a location for our ceremony and reception:)  It's going to be at Heritage Hills Historic Park in Lake Forest, CA on June 10th, 2012.  I still cannot believe that I am so lucky as to have met someone that I want to marry and that I get to marry him AND I get to make a pretty handmade party, too!

Because I am a psycho, I have gotten a lot done already...I already had planned things out because I knew D. was going to propose and I knew we would want to get married as soon as we could:)  Some of it I won't write about because I want it to be a surprise, even though I seriously doubt many will read this...

I originally thought I wanted a pretty strict color scheme of greens, browns, and creams, but honestly, it's become sort of a free for all:)  The lovely ladies are wearing sage/ ivory, mint, kelly, and apple green....I want my flower girls to wear ivory or cream and I bought some fake monarch butterflies for them to wear in their hair....my vintage-y floral hair piece (Etsy seller Whichgoose) looks like it might have peach-y touches to it (I might add some brown and green ribbons or something), as does Steph's...so orange-y colors are present...D's favorite color is purple, so I have included some lavender touches as well in the pom poms and wands (in place of rice or bubbles)...

so mainly, I think it is a book nature theme, and the colors are more loose....I am planning on making the bridesmaid's flowers out of their favorite books and tissue paper, so they will mostly be creams and whites, but I might include some pale peach and lavender or even green flowers....I think as long as we like it, that's all that matters...

And I am definitely having the guys wear converse...maybe all in green?  Maybe D will wear purple cons?  He does love purple, though I like the green color they offer!  I think different colored green ties, maybe thrifted? I don't care, they can get whatever green tie they want.  Vests, slacks....I don't know anymore than that:)  I am stumped on my shoes, and will be until I see the dress on (assuming it works on me)....I was thinking Tom's, when I thought my shoes wouldn't show....then I thought green heels, but forgot D is the same height as me, and I really don't want to tower over him on our wedding day....I have looked for green flats and haven't found much I have liked...there are a few pair of sandals that might work.  Maybe I will still stick with Tom's--glittery silver in honor of my love of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz OR the ivory ribbon ones....I wish they had pretty pale green ribbon ones, though!

I would like to put some pics up, but I have to download them, first...so I will edit them in shortly!  Just wanted to babble happily:)

redwoods and ocean views

I have a lovely friend at work who is an artist....we both love fantasy and fairies, the Oz books, Maxfield Parrish...she has always been so sweet and caring to me, as well.  One day, my first year at the school we teach at, I had a really bad day. I felt like I was a terrible teacher and was so discouraged.  She gave me a card and a pastry the next day, telling me what a good English teacher she thought I was--this meant so much coming from a veteran teacher.  Another time, when I was heartbroken about some matter of the heart, she left me another card telling me that I would someday find someone that wouldn't break my heart.  She was right, of course:)  I have always wondered what makes her so caring and so seemingly fond of me and I think she is one of the kindest hearts I have ever met.
Today, I was filling her in on the events of my life this past week--I knew she would appreciate all the Alice references, as she knows my love of Alice and often refers to me as Alice whenever I wear one of my Etsy/ Anthropologie styled dresses.  I asked if I could commission a very special cake topper to be made and she said she'd make it for me as a gift!  Again, kindness abounds.  Also, she told me her sister owns a gorgeous inn in Northern California that she thought I should go to for my honeymoon....I checked out the website and I cannot believe how perfect it is--it is exactly what I dreamed of and to be honest, I wish we could just have a destination wedding and get married there.  I really really hope that a honeymoon at the Lost Whale Inn works out....if it does, I might feel the need to don my dress again and run around in the woods, barefoot with flowers in my hair!

Colors

Greens, browns, creams, with touches of lavender (for Dan, since purple is his favorite color) :)

I have already ordered my dress. I hope it looks nice on me, but if not, there is time to find something else...I wanted something old fashioned and simple...and I found it!  Here are some inspiration dresses, though, that helped me find what I was looking for:

Vintage beauties:

 Vintage inspired:

 KTJean on Etsy:

 Joanna August

PS:  I didn't post the dress I chose, but I love it and hope it looks great.

Megan in Wonderland

So...I am now engaged!  Hurray!  I am so so so happy to be marrying Dan, something I have wanted since our first month or so, when I got drunk and made him look at wedding dresses!  We met in a weird way, as he was the friend of an ex boyfriend but technically, we met at a Halloween party where I was dressed like a fairytale medieval girl, in green and cream with flowers in my hair and he was...some comic book person.  I don't remember who, but he had his ever present metal water bottle with him and I lectured him on Celtic mythology (we were watching The Wicker Man).  So the memory is good enough and we shall stick by it, despite other romantic entanglements that were going on at the time.

Dan proposed in the best way ever, at least for me.  I came home from work, with plans to relax and meet up with him for the evening. As I pulled up into the driveway, I wondered why my lights were on...Dan had left last that morning and it wasn't like him to leave lights on, but I shrugged this off as I noticed a garden statue of a rabbit on my doorstep.  I got out of my car and inspected it, pleased that someone had left me a prezzie. I thought maybe a friend had found it or had it in their garden and thought I would like it, since I am known for my Alice love....I noticed a piece of iridescent cream paper on my door, with a passage from Alice.  "Alice" had been replaced with "Megan," but there was no signature.  I had no idea what was going on at all, and was just happy someone had thought of me--it was my 35th birthday last Monday, after all!

I opened the door, and was surprised to see a purple swathed table in my front hallway, with a glass apothecary bottle, complete with a "Drink Me" tag....and a note that again, referenced me as Alice, shrinking "like a telescope."  I couldn't figure out what was going on! I though the contents were bubble bath, but again--no card or signature.  I don't know why I didn't assume it was Dan as it's not like a billion people have my keys, but I was clueless and delighted and for once in my life, not over thinking things.  What I didn't see what the little glass box on the floor, with an Eat Me cake inside and a note narrating me to leave the Pool of Tears behind and to travel into the hallway to see what the cause of these riddles was....but I figured it out without that clue and, still with no clue, opened my hall door.

There I found my closet door opened so that I couldn't see the rest of my room. I was eager to see what someone had set up for me on the other side--greedy Meg likes prezzies!--and ignored what I thought was a passage from Alice taped to the door.

Later, I would read it and see that it described what I would see in a second...so maybe it's better I didn't read it because I was SO surprised and overwhelmed when I opened the door and "All is Love" by Karen O. and the Kids started playing and I saw my lovely love on his knee, holding a box, wrapped in a page from Pride and Prejudice and tied with a blue velvet bow....and inside was my quirky yet gorgeous green tourmaline ring--handmade from Etsy seller Peaces of Indigo--with tag attached saying "Marry Me."  I started laughing and crying as one of my favorite songs played and said yes and sort of fell on Dan, because of the cast on my leg!  I cried and cried and he teared up a little and we were so happy...and then we went to Nick's and ate delicious food and had spectacular pumpkin bread pudding and felt fat and full and content and then we watched some terrible movie and snuggled on the couch.

Awwwwww.  So happy.