February 2008 Archives
a note on the reasons behind the antique ring: all along we both knew we didn't want any part of buying a new diamond. when he first mentioned the idea of an antique ring, i loved it. i'm drawn to antique and vintage items anyway, and i love the sense of history. an antique engagement ring seemed like the perfect way to find a ring that was conflict-free, unique, and fit our style. i knew that when we got engaged, the ring would be antique. he deserves all the credit for choosing the perfect one, of course- and for devising a wonderfully sweet proposal.
we spent january and pat's school break plowing through some wedding to-dos. it was a productive month, and we crossed quite a few things off the list:
-moved ahead on the invitation design process with meg
-met with the music director at the church about ceremony music
-booked wedding party transportation
-booked the rehearsal dinner (i'm very excited about the special place pat's parents picked)
-completed pre-cana (not that bad, aside from the 'natural family planning' bit. generally just good relationship building stuff.)
-came up with a save the date concept
-decided on bridesmaid dresses
-started honeymoon plans
-found a cake baker (i found this so easy- people actually stress about this? is there something i'm missing that should be stressful about ordering a cake?)
-did a tasting at our reception venue (delish!)
it feels good to be making progress- time is flying, just like they said it would. hrm... more interesting/well written blog posts to come!
how about some photos to (maybe) make up for the blah-ness of this post:
christ the king church- where we'll make it official. photo from the website of james hundt, the architect of the building..
the edison club- where we'll gather with our nearest and dearest to celebrate making it official.
calvin is so tired out from researching invitation paper.
(bottom two photos by patrick.)
i bought this last weekend. i owned the same one 18 years ago.
when i was eight years old, my grandmother (my mom's mom) tried to teach me to crochet. i didn't get very far-- the chain stitch, maybe a necklace. she gave me a tiny crochet hook, my very own ball of copper hued yarn and a yarn tin to keep it in. on one side of the tin was a silhouette of a girl knitting, and on the other a cat playing with the ball of yarn. the top had a hole in it for the lead to come out of. i kept the tin even after it was clear i wasn't going to get very far in my crochet lessons. it was something of hers- it made me feel special that she had given it to me. it was nothing expensive or fancy, but i loved the images on the side, the top with the hole, the smallness of it.
last winter, when i took up crochet lessons once again (this time much more successfully), i thought of the tin. i knew it was still at my parents' house somewhere, and i looked for a it a few times. neither my mom nor i could find it. i found the tiny crochet hook, but no tin.
when liz and beth were visiting last week we stopped in to my favorite thrift shop, right across the street from our apartment. on the window ledge, among pyrex bowls and pillbox hats, sat this tin. it is the same tin my grandmother gave me when i was eight, the same one i'd been looking for over the past year. for five dollars, i bought it. i would have paid much more.
planning our wedding has me thinking a lot about my grandma andrews. patrick and i started dating about 2 months after she died, and i've always wished she could have met him. i'm positive she would have approved, even if he isn't italian.
maybe the appearance of the yarn tin at this moment in a store across the street from my building is just a coincidence, but i don't really believe that.
