The Fest is Here!!

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Today is the day! The day one of the best music festivals in PA and maybe some parts of the states begins.

So what is the Musikfest?

Musikfest is a one week event where the locals and OOTowners get to enjoy some great music of many genres, great food and of course Beer!

Essentially they shut down a section of Bethlehem (my hometown) to dedicate to the million + people the attend the week long event. During the day, they have crafts and other goodies for the children but in the evening it is more of an adult's world.

Here are some of the headliners this year:

• The Commodores - Friday, July 31
• Chris Isaak / The Wallflowers - Saturday, August 1
• Yes with special guest Asia - Sunday, August 2
• David Cook - Monday, August 3
• Third Eye Blind - Tuesday, August 4
• The B52s / Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Wednesday, August 5
• Pat Benatar & Blondie with the Donnas - Friday, August 7

... and many more.

Those were just the headliners that you have to purchase tickets for. There are many, many more artists who perform for free at many of the platz locations around the fest.

So if you have some time this week and are a drive away from Bethlehem, PA, come on out and experience what it means to "fest".

Have a great weekend everyone!!

I am off to get our marriage license =)

Sneak Peek: Projects To Be Completed

I promised in previous posts that I would show pictures of projects that I have been working on that have not been completed yet. So here they are. I apologize for the cell phone quality pictures.


Project #1: the table numbers. What I am holding in the picture is a mini canvas that will sit on a mini easel. We wanted to display our wedding colors but also bring a little bit of my Latina culture as well. Thus, the 'Dos' which if you haven't guessed stands for the number 2.

This was a project that my FI and I are working on together. I stencil and draw the numbers and am writing out the numbers in spanish while my FI is painting the canvases the black and white that you see in the picture.


Project #2: The OOT bag and Gift Bag tags. I can't divulge into too much detail here because my FMIL and my helpful friends who will be receiving one or more of these bags actually read this blog. Sorry!

What I did here was purchase a few plain white gift tags from Michael's, added a black & white ribbon in the provided hole and wrote 1 of the two combinations:

Combo #1 (Gift Bags):
Side 1 - Thank You
Side 2 - Gracias

Combo #2 (OOT Bags):
Side 1 - Welcome
Side 2 - Bienvenido


Project #3: The Bling Bling Flip Flop. This project here is for my niece, the Flower Girl. These will be her shoes for the wedding, she just doesn't know it yet because this is one of her gifts.

I purchased 144 clear 12ss flatback Swarovski rhinestone crystals from Etsy seller, JemsandBeads for a little over 7 bucks. I then hand glued each gem one by one with e6000 glue using a toothpick and my fingers. Toothpick to add the glue and fingers to add the crystal. Now I am not positive whether this is the correct glue but it was the strongest glue I had on hand. Anyway, it took me 2 hours to do one shoe and just about 130 + crystals to do the one shoe. Since I have never done this before, I wasn't sure about how many crystals I would need and unfortunately I was short. So I went to ebay and purchased more crystals for only $4.99 from the seller CrystalsXpress. Once they arrive, I will hurry up to finish the second shoe.

I can't wait to show you my finished projects!!

We're In The 30's

Can you believe we are almost here already? We are just 38 days away. I should probably be freaking out right now but thankfully I am more excited then scared.

I think it has a lot to do with the anxiety I had with the guest list. That was my biggest worry. Since that was solved, I am more at peace and actually want to get things done. A few days ago I worked on attaching tiny little Swarovski rhinestone crystals to little flip-flops that I bought for my niece the Flower Girl. OK, so it took me 2 hours to cover just 1 flip-flop, lol... It is well worth it because they look so darn cute and my niece will LOVE it! Last night, I started my place cards. They aren't coming out as I'd hoped but at this point not everything will be perfect. So if the white ink isn't as bright on the black paper, who cares?!? As long as they can read it and my handwriting is legible, that is all I care about. That is the kind of attitude I have been growing lately and it feels darn good!

For all you other ladies, are you freaking out or starting to calm down as time passes?


PS: I promise I will show pictures off all the work that I have been doing lately.

The Response Deadline is Here

Today is the last day for responses. We made it!!

As of this morning, our totals for 290 guests are 185 YES * 75 No * 30 Non-Responders.

I cannot believe it but we made our goal which I set as under 250 adults and children. In previous posts I had mentioned that I was a bit nervous about our head count. We had invited more people then we originally wanted, so I was afraid that the BIG bill was going to be over what my FI and I had budgeted and saved for. Lucky for us, my FMIL and her husband have been very generous so they would have backed us up if we were low. Within the next week or so I may be able to say that we don't need to have them help us at all with the hall bill. Oh wouldn't that be grand! Then that would mean that the wedding cash they are giving us will actually be a gift and NOT used to pay for the wedding.

I don't know how it happened but I will thank God for that one for sure!!

So even if the remaining 30 non-responders answer yes or no we will be at the hall minimum of 200 guests. This is how it will work. Children 6 and under are free. Of the 185 yes guests, there are 15 and of the 30 unknown guests there are 3 for a possible total of 18. So if all the 30 unknown says yes, we are at 215. You then take 215 and subtract the total children 6 and under which is 18 and you get 197 total guests. If all 30 says no, we are under the 200 minimum so the count stays at 200.

The only unfortunate thing is that there are a few people who I expected to come who aren't but hey, it's their loss. We will all have such a great time. One big party with my BIG FAT Puerto Rican family =)

So how are your numbers coming out? Good or bad?

Baby Shower for FSIL

Yes, Thank Heaven for Little Boys!!

This past Saturday was my FSIL's baby shower. My FSIL and FBIL (FI's brother) are welcoming their first baby boy soon. She is due August 19 but from what she looked like this weekend, she is going to go much sooner.

Baby showers are bittersweet to me. I absolutely enjoy them but I also get the baby fever and constantly think, "When is it MY turn?"... Honestly though, if it was up to my FI we would have already had a baby but I wanted to wait. I wanted to wait until I got the ring (and not the engagement ring). It is something that was instilled into me from both my parents and Catholic upbringing but since we waited this long a few more months until after the wedding was NOT going to hurt. Have any of you had baby fever during your engagement or prior? I know I am not the only one =)

Here is a pic of my and my FSIL

The favors... So cute!

They even had games... I was a loser though!

Centerpiece (candle and glass vase) that my wonderful FMIL created.

The gift table highlighting my gift basket... Looks puny compared to the monster basket to the right. =)

She definitely had a lot of gifts!!

This was the cutest thing ever. Someone made a sub sandwhich out of baby things and even put a receipt of the contents... How cute!!

Gift from Grandpa Roddy (FFIL)

Gift from me and the mister




As always, she just loved wearing the hat =)

My 1st Softball Game in 11 Years!

This weekend was pretty eventful. Saturday, I attended my first FSIL's baby shower (pics coming soon) then today I played in my first softball game since I was in HS.

My brother is a captain of a local team called the ? ("The Unknown") and his gf had to work today so they needed a substitute. This is where I came in. I have been itching to play again when my FI started playing basketball again but I had no way of playing. I was soooo excited to play again but just as nervous since it has been 11 years since I played in a real game. Now I have thrown around a few times last year and have hit up a few batting cages but it is nothing like the real thing.

I have to say, although I am seriously out of shape, I did a pretty good job. Obviously not the best but not the worst either. I ended up with a 2-1 with BOB (Base on Balls) for hitting and got 2 outs on the field. So our team didn't win but it was alright. First off, it felt like 100 degrees out there. The sun was beaming on us and we never caught a break. It had to have been the hottest game I have ever played in... YIKES. Secondly, we didn't have the best team but we worked together. I mean the pitcher never pitched in his life but did a pretty darn good job.

Anywho, it brought back so many memories, so I was truly thankful to be able to take part today. The worst part? I am going to be SUPER sore tomorrow. I can actually feel it already. My body essentially feels like Jello. Goes to show how out of shape I really am but Oh Well!! But hey, at least there were no broken legs or fingers =)...

So here are some pictures from the game. Have any of you got back into something that you haven't done in a while and it brought back memories (good or bad)?

Enjoy!

Sweet Papery Giveaway by A Wedding Story

My fellow blogger at A Wedding Story is having an AWESOME giveaway courtesy of Sweet Papery. She is giving away 1 free custom made stamp such as the following which is my absolute favorite. So be sure to check her blog out.

You can click here for all the details on signing up for this contest. Good luck ladies!!

Bachelorette Party

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The Bachelorette Party has been scheduled!!

My sister (MOH) and best friend are hosting a dinner, cocktails and slots night on Aug. 22 at the Sands Casino in my hometown!! For fun and in the spirit of the wedding, we are hoping the ladies will dress in their favorite black/white/red clothing to match the colors of the wedding.

This is going to be so much fun and I am so excited!!

My sister and I created a cute evite to invite my closest friends and my family (aunts and cousins) to come join in the fun! It was inexpensive and great alternative to the paper invite. Way to save a tree!!

AH, my last night as a bachelorette...I will be sure to post the pics after the party. =)

45 More Days!!

OK, HOLY CRAP!

We are just 45 days away from becoming the new Mr. and Mrs. Roddy! I just can't believe how fast it is flying and we have sooo much to do yet.

Here's what's left:

• Purchase and assemble centerpieces
• Find hair and makeup styles for hair trial
• Find & buy MOB dress, shoes and accessories
• Finish & Organize OOT bags
• Schedule & meet with vendors
• Pay Vendors
• Purchase attendant's gifts
• Finish gifts for helpers
• Purchase activities for kid's table
• Purchase more cake stands and platters
• Send in final count and food selections to venue
• Purchase decor for Candy station

... and so much more! EEK!

PS: We are at 150 Yes - 50 No - 85 Not Responded =)

The Photo Must Have Checklist

Below is what we came up with for our Photo must have for each part of the wedding. Now we know that it can be difficult to get all the requested photos for the day but we wanted to come up with a list. I hope this list can inspire you to create your own. It was based on the photo list that Bed, Bath and Beyond had provided.


PRE-CEREMONY
Bride getting ready for ceremony
Full length shot of bride
Bride with parents: together and separately
Bride with siblings
Bride with flower girl and ring bearer
Bride with parents and siblings
Groom getting ready for ceremony
Full length shot of groom
Groom with parents: together and separately
Groom with sibling (Best Man)
Groom with parents and sibling
Bride and Groom with dog
Bride giving groom his gift

CEREMONY
Groom, Officiant and attendants walking down aisle
Bridal attendants walking down the aisle
Bride and father walking down the aisle
Father giving bride away
Exchange of Rings
Lighting of Unity candle
First Kiss

POST CEREMONY
Portrait of newlyweds
Newlyweds with each set of parents
Newlyweds with both set of parents
Newlyweds with wedding party
Newlyweds with both set of families

RECEPTION
Attendants being announced
Newlyweds being announced
First Dance
Bride and father dancing
Groom and mother dancing
Toast
Close up shot of cake
Newlyweds cutting the cake
Bouquet toss
Garter toss
Guests at tables
Groom with his best friends
Bride and Groom with Groom's best friends

OTHER
Close up of groom when bride appears
Close up of Invitation
Close up of rings
Close up of bride's dress
Bride's arrival to ceremony
Close up of place cards
Close up of table before guests are seated
Large shot of hall from baucony
Close up of bride and grooms shoes
Close up of garter set

Wedding Shoes...Check!

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner...and the winners are...the Nina Clova in Black!!

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THANK YOU ladies for all your votes!

So why did I chose the Clova over the other two fab shoes? Well one of the main reasons why I chose this shoe was because it matched the dress more. What can't be seen from previous wedding dress photos is that my sash is like a cumberbund style in that it has horizontal pleats similar to what this shoe has.

Oh and another plus... The bow and ankle strap is actually attached by velcro! How easy is that going to be when I need someone to take the shoes off for me?! Also, the ankle strap is low enough where it doesn't cut off my leg nor does it give me cankles. Nobody likes cankles!!

So, because we liked the shoes so much, my sister (MOH) bought the same pair. We thought the shoes will be an awesome touch to the FABULOUS dress my sister picked as her MOH dress. Post coming soon, I swear!

I hope you all had a FANTABULOUS weekend as I had.

Happy Planning!!

The Rings

We did it! We finally bought our wedding rings. The process went pretty smooth and we even got a sweet discount on the final price for both. The saleswoman at Littman Jewelers was a HUGE help. She essentially picked out my ring. It was the first ring she showed us. As soon as my FI and I saw the ring we both said, "That's it"! Since this was the first time my FI was even trying on a ring it took us a bit. We learned about each metal and whether they can be buffed or restored to its original beauty and whether the metal is durable. It was a great bonding experience for us. It was really cute watching him trying on the rings trying to get my approval but in the end I made him make the decision since he should be wearing the ring for eternity right? =)


So I chose the 1/2 ct tw 14K white gold diamond ring (ring #2 in the previous post)

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For my FI, he picked out a 7mm Tungsten ring similar to the picture below. Unfortunately, the site did not have an image of the actual ring so the picture below is a version of it.

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We are one step closer and it is getting more exciting in the adventures of wedding planning. Tomorrow is dress fitting and then dress shopping with my Mama and my sister (MOH), so I need to get my beauty sleep. See you tomorrow! Night ladies!

It's Ring Day!

Today we are finally going to purchase our wedding rings. Yay!! I have been waiting for this exciting day but unfortunately the date kept getting pushed back. So after work, my FI and I will treck our way to Littman Jewelers where my engagement ring was purchased.

According to my FI, there is a matching band to my ring, so I am excited to see it. Other than that I really don't know which ring I want. I am interested in a ring that has the diamonds from side-to-side like these:

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This ring below reminds me a bit of my e-ring but I won't know until I see it.

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Have you got your mind set on a particular ring or you'll know which ring you want when you see it?

My 2 Favorite Guys

Besides my father and my brother, my 2 favorite guys in the whole wide world is my FI and our poochie, Buddy. Buddy is part Chocolate Lab - Rottweiler who is a wanna be tough guy with a bubbly, playful lab personality. My FI always calls him a machine because he looks like a chocolate lab on steroids... You can see for yourself =)

So how did Buddy become a part of our life? Well initially he was my FFIL's dog but once my FI brought his dad in due to his numerous health issues, Buddy essentially became his. So once I met my FI, I inherited both my FFIL and Buddy.

My relationship with my FFIL is pretty sour but that's a whole other story that I will not get into or at least not now, besides this post is about our poochie. So where was I? Well at first I have to say I was a little worried about Buddy. First off, I have never lived with a large dog. Like I mentioned above he is a bit of a tough guy. He has a VERY intimidating bark but it really is only a facade because if you pet him enough he starts rubbing your legs like a kitty, lol. Oh, and he had a bad slobber problem. Anytime he would shake we would have to run for cover fearing that it might land on our clothes or even our face. That's our Buddy! But pretty much since he changed his environment and starting living with me his slobber problem has calmed down a bit. Thank God!!

I now introduce Buddy, our poochie =)

What pet(s) do you have and did you have to adjust to having them around?

Shout Out to Simple Computers!

Good Morning Everyone!

I just wanted to shout out to my FI who created his very first blog last night called, Simple Computers. A blog with detailed specifics on troubleshooting computer problems and even fixing them. He is in hopes that other users will use this blog to help them with many of their computer needs.

So be sure to check back from time to time to view his problem solving posts!! His blog is at www.simplecomputers.blogspot.com .

The Bridal Shower - Part I

Here's a sneak peek of the Bridal Shower courtesy of my Aunt L. There will be other posts coming soon.

So do you remember this post ? Well, it NEVER happened (at least not at that time). It was all a part of the grand scheme my Mom had come up with to lure me back up to my parent's house this past weekend. My Mom and my Uncle's now Fiance (let's call her C) worked together on this. C actually went out to a jewelry store and picked out a ring to put on just to take a picture. She then sent me the picture with an email announcement that my Uncle had proposed to her. (Sneaky, Sneaky)...And it worked. I fell for it and fell hard! I am so thankful though that it was a true surprise, it made it that much more special.

So without further ado...The Bridal Shower!

The Guests:
We had a huge turnout. 30 + people had come from as far as an hour and a half to celebrate with me. I had many aunts and cousins, as well as, HS classmates, previous and current co-workers (& Boss) and of course my girlies! There were also a few guys but they left when the fun stuff began =).

Me in the Bride's chair.

They caught me licking yummy chocolate off my fingers.

A few of my best girlies

My sister (MOH) and a neighbor (and the gifts)

My Lil' Bro and his beautiful GF

My sister and I

Excuse my get-up!

My sister and I again

My Sister, My Aunt L and I

The Decor:

My Mom and FMIL came up with the theme, Naughty & Nice. They dressed up the outside as being tropical since tropical usually means nice (lol). There was a tiki bar with grass skirts and palm trees everywhere. They then set-up the dining room to be the Naughty room. There were all sorts of naughty items there...You can see for yourself in the pics.

The Nice...

The Tiki Bar

The cake table.

My Mom made homemade chocolate and stuffed them into those boxes with a monogram on there.

Close-up pics coming soon.

The dessert and snack table.

The desserts were samples of what my Aunt L will be making for our dessert table.

Yummy, yummy cake balls!

The Naughty...

Made by my sister.

The Penis Pinata to be hit with a Dick Stick (ha!)

Please excuse the Bible in the picture.

The Naughty table with all types of goodies...

Condoms, handcuffs, dice, love gels and candy.

The chandelier had shot glasses, garter belts and a honey do whistle hanging from it.

The Entertainment:

My FMIL with the help of my Mom came up with some awesome bridal shower games. Before my arrival the ladies were playing the game where they wore clothes pins and the only rule was that they could not say my name or the person who heard it can take their pin from them. They had a lot of fun with that one.

Other games:

• Kiss the Stud - Every girl had to put on lipstick then be blindfolded. They then had to kiss the poster of the male character. I think the rules were to get close to his lips but we changed the rules and made the gals kiss close to his (ahem)... You get the idea =)


• The Teddy Game - Bridal Shower version of Hot Potato. In a huge circle, us ladies had to pass the gift bag that contained a teddy. Whomever had the bag when the person in charge said stop, they had to wear the teddy for the rest of the shower... When the winner ( or loser) peaked in the bag, it was really a Teddy Bear and not a teddy =)


• Bridal Bingo - This was done when opening the gifts. This is a pretty common game but the jist of it is that the ladies had to write in the boxes the gifts they believed I received. They then gave their card to the person on the right. When I started to reveal gifts, they had to cross off their card the gift if it was listed. The winner would have Bingo.

FMIL and Mama A holding up the Stud

Yes, the apron had a schlong...

This was actually the gag gift given to my Mom at her bridal shower 29 yrs. ago by her late step father. I am supposed to pass it on to my daughter on her shower.

Not much to say!

The last bit of enterainment came with a stripping gorilla (yes, I said it!). Thank God they chose to stay away from a real stripper!! Even so, I was really embarrassed. Enjoy!

That's a penis hat by the way!

I hope you enjoyed the first pictures of my shower. Any interesting things done at your shower? Share with us your experience.