Wedding Block

With only 115 days left to go, I should probably let you all know that we created a hotel block. Since so few people are coming from far out of town, we only made a small block. Now, let me explain my reasoning behind this hotel:

Steven and I aren't leaving for our honeymoon until the week AFTER the wedding. The only other cruise option had us leaving the day  OF the wedding... from Texas... so we pushed it off a week. That meant that after the wedding we had several options. When discussing our options, the conversation went like this:

Rachel: Where should we stay after the wedding?
Steven: We could just come home?
Rachel: That's so depressing!
Steven: We could get a hotel room?
Rachel: I'll see what our options are.

So, about year ago after booking out honeymoon, I began looking into hotels we could have hotel blocks in and rooms for ourselves. I went city by city to see what our options are. With the wedding in Sonoma it seemed like the obvious choice to stay there. HA. The prices immediately made me change my mind. I looked at a map to see what other cities were options. Of course, there was Santa Rosa. Hotels in Santa Rosa are the most reasonably priced but if we were going to get a hotel room in Santa Rosa, why not just come home? Again, depressing. Petaluma seemed like the best option. It is close to Sonoma but far enough away that the prices are a little better.

The trouble with the hotels we found was that they either look like this:

And, surprisingly enough, the cheap hotels ran out of rooms before I could set up a hotel block!

Or like this:

Believe it or not, there were more expensive hotels we could have chosen for our hotel block. 

So, even though it seems incredibly expensive, the hotel we picked was actually the middle of the road in terms of prices we were offered AND each room had a small discount added for being part of a block. I added nine rooms for people to book, fully expecting less than that to even book them, and one larger room for Steven and I to book. This room, one of only four in the hotel, had to be big enough for me to get ready with my ladies the morning of the wedding. So, imagine my surprise when someone booked that room before we could do it!

Why would someone ELSE want a room THAT big and $100 extra dollars for the weekend???

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Fear not, though, I added one of the other three rooms that size left which were luckily still available. Needless to say, though, some crazy person attending my wedding will also be staying in a huge room but for no good reason... 

In any case, if you need a room for the night, you can join our block!

Follow this link to book a room!

A Mystery!

So, a weird thing has happened to me. At first I was confused, then annoyed, and now I'm just resolved to let it sort itself out. Let's go back in time to June 2015 to see where it all started!

A most accurate drawing of me by one of my students.

Way back in June 2015, I was working not one, not two, but THREE part time jobs. I was teaching 20 hours, in the mornings, Monday through Friday. I was working at Bed Bath and Beyond 20 to 25 hours, in the evenings, Monday through Friday. And I was working at the Coffee House Teen Shelter 16 hours on the weekends. It was a crazy time. But, since all of my jobs were part time, I received no benefits. 

At the time, I was still hoping to get work as an ESL teacher. Ha.

I had been following the whole "Obamacare" rules for a while and it looked like if I didn't go get signed up soon I would be out of luck. I finally went in and got myself signed up. In the end, it ended up costing me $1/month and covered virtually nothing but I was compliant with the law. Yay!

Months later, I was hired for a brand new position that gave me health insurance for the first time! Only after using my new insurance several times to verify it was real did I call up my Obamacare insurance and have it cancelled.The lady on the other end was initially confused I'd want to cancel my insurance but then she was happy for me that I had a new job with better insurance. After this phone call, I settled in to my life of being treated like a real person by a company that appreciates me.

Fast forward one month to November and take note that I got something in the mail that said, "You might qualify for Medi-Cal". "Whatever," I thought. "I don't need that. I have REAL insurance!" I continued about my life. I returned from China in mid-January after an awesome vacation to a GIANT stack of mail to sift through.

Totally worth it, though.

In the mail, I find a special envelope and in it includes my brand new Medi-Cal benefits card.

.

Turns out ignoring that the combination of me being poor and cancelling my other insurance magically got me signed up for Medi-Cal. Now, I've been on Medi-Cal before. I know how hard some people work to even qualify and keep it so I felt SO GUILTY knowing that I had it and didn't need it. What a waste of time and money! A few days later when I had a free afternoon, I decided to try to call some people and cancel it to free up money for someone who had less than me.

It actually took a while to even get the right number. At first, I immediately reached someone for help. That was, of course, because it not the number I needed. You could tell when I finally reached the right number because I sat on hold. I ended up giving up after twenty minutes on hold because it was going on five and I figured I wasn't very likely to reach someone in time before their offices closed. I decided to wait a while. One week led to another and before I knew it almost a month had passed. The guilt started to creep up again.

I finally decided to call again. I was told I was 27th in line and they put on the elevator music. I waited. And waited. I was determined to get through. I knew I would be on hold for a while so I called from my cell phone at work so that I could check emails while the phone rang. 

It got to the point where I finally couldn't take it anymore. I hung up and checked how long I'd been listening to the elevator music: 30 minutes. It felt like an eternity. Well, I'm sorry to the random person who won't get Medi-Cal because I do. I tried. I can't take the waiting. I've already devoted fifty minutes of my life to being on hold. At this point, I'm just going to let myself get disqualified when I get married in July. It should work itself out. But know this, random person: I did try.

The Tables Have Turned

Since 2012, I have been a registry consultant at Bed Bath and Beyond (excluding that year in the middle where I went and taught English in China because I thought becoming a teacher wouldn't be that hard). But now, the tables have turned! On the morning of Saturday, September 12th (forever famous in Lake County for the start of the Valley Fire), Steven and I set out to accomplish many errands. The longest errand, though, was creating our wedding registry.

Having spent several years helping couples construct their own registries, I already had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to register for. Luckily for me, Steven has spent several years listening to my stories of couples who come in to register but then pick out almost nothing, so he was amazing at helping pick out gifts.

Steven picked out the colors of our dinnerware and entertaining pieces, I picked out the colors of our appliances, and we mutually agreed on so many things. I don't understand why some couples struggle with this fun wedding task. We did spend two whole hours in the store, though, which I didn't anticipate since I already knew so much of what I wanted to put on the registry.

So, if you wander on over to the Bed Bath and Beyond website, you can now view (and let's be honest, judge) our wedding registry! Keep a few things in mind as you browse through it:

1.  (What some registering couples don't seem to understand is that) Registries are supposed to contain a lot of gifts at all kinds of price points to give everyone lots of options. So, hells yes we put on a $480 blender! You don't have to buy it for us if it's not in your budget, though. We registered for WAY more gifts than we imagine we'll actually get but that's in order to give our friends and family tons of options. 
2. We not only registered for things that we want and need, but we are also replacing things as well. So, yes, we do already have some pots and pans, but if anyone felt like getting us nicer ones than we've already got that would be fantastic. We also only own four dinner plates, so you better believe we'd be happy to get some of our dinnerware sets. 
3. Every gift we receive will be special, but if you want it to be UNIQUE you have to make sure it gets removed from our registry in order to avoid duplicates. If you find an identical product somewhere else for cheaper, don't buy it! Get proof and take it to BBB and they will price match so that we can get the gift removed from our registry. (You wouldn't believe the hoops that company will jump through to make its customers happy.)
4. Every gift off of a registry with BBB has free gift packaging and free shipping. So if you wander into the store and they tell you that they don't have something in store to walk away with, that's fine! That's great! Let them order it and have it shipped to us. Nobody opens their wedding presents on their wedding day anyway. 

As an employee, and now as a customer, I highly recommend Bed Bath and Beyond for all of your registry needs. And if you or anyone you know is getting married soon, come in and register with me! It's a fun way to spend an hour and a half.

Oh, yeah, and...

Save The Dates!

Well, this is the beginning of the end. After spending months looking at save the date patterns/options, and hemming and hawing over which engagement pictures to use, Steven and I finally ordered our save the dates. Just yesterday I got my email to confirm the professional changes that had been made so that they can go to the printer! That's probably what brought on: Rachel's First Wedding Nightmare.

According to my internet search, this is a common thing. But it doesn't make you feel better knowing that when you have over a year left til the wedding. That leaves the possibility of more than 400 wedding nightmares between today and "I do!". That blows. I can only guess that this was brought on by the combination of stress from being forced to commit to a save the date and the large glass of Cat Wine I drank before bed. 

For roughly $10, this wine was actually pretty good.
Cost Plus World Market for the win!

The dream began like this: I'm being marched into my wedding, surrounded by ladies from the Marching Lumberjacks (many of whom will not actually be AT my wedding because the venue is so small, so this should have been a clue that this wasn't real). Also, having already booked my venue (one of the few things I have already taken care of), it should have been another solid clue that being marched into a theater for my wedding meant that this wasn't real. But with all dreams, I fell for it for at least a time.

I was paraded into the building, amid loud claps from the audience, but I paused with uncertainty before they could get me through the door that lead to the theater the wedding was being held in. I paused and thought to myself, "Am I ready for this?" It occurred to me that I couldn't remember any of the plans I'd made. 

"I don't remember what song I'm walking out to!" I thought to myself with panic. 

Someone came up and handed me two small bouquets of flowers that didn't match, and as I looked down I realized my dress had a long pink stain down the front and right in the middle of the dress. I held the flowers to cover the stain and began thinking.

"Do I need all of the things I had forgotten?" I decided that I did need some of them. I told the ladies around me that I needed a little time to find those things.

I ran out of the theater and began to look around. The area around the theater was a carnival. I wandered the carnival, my long white dress trailing behind me, looking for solutions to the things I had forgotten. I had no flowers. I had no music. I had no photographer. I remembered that I had forgotten to get my dress fitted, so it fit just fine on the bottom but the top was too big. I wandered for what seemed like ages, having eventually forgotten what I was looking for.

"Oh, right! I'm getting married!" I raced back to the theater. 

Back in the building, I arrived at the door to the theater. The girls opened the door again, and I looked inside. The audience was full of every important person I'd ever known. My high school teachers, college professors, all there. I looked to the front of the room, and I saw Steven standing, waiting for me, dressed in a grey suit with his groomsmen lined up next to him. I looked up at him and thought, "Do I need those things?" If I walked in right then, I would get married without music, flowers, or a photographer to capture the moment. 

I realized that Steven had waited for me while I looked for those things because I had felt like we needed them.

I walked inside.

Wedding Dress

Over Alia's spring break, we went down to Wine Country Bride and I tried on wedding dresses for the first time. I had seen a few online that I was considering buying off of Etsy, but I didn't want to miss out on the experience of trying on dresses.

Who would want to miss out on trying on this gem?

Alia helped me narrow it down to a total of three dresses. Each one had something totally different to offer. I ended up deciding to leave it there because Alia and I have the same opinion on dresses and were not going to be able to narrow it down to one dress. 

How does anyone choose???

I made an appointment for Steven's mom and I to come back so I could get a different perspective. This past Sunday was that day. I had her come in and look through the dresses they had on the floor. She picked out one additional dress for me to try on which was rather similar to the dress I was considering my number one. 

I tried on a total of four dresses for her. The first one was my third choice. I LOVED the top half but really didn't love where it hit me on my waist or how big the bottom half made me look. 

The top looks so good, why does the bottom look so bad on me?

Because the dress that she picked out looked so similar to my number one choice, I chose to try it on next so that there was still a dress in between them. When it was on it was gorgeous! It was such a beautiful dress. It honestly made me wonder if THIS was going to be the dress. Did I like it more than my first choice?

It's so similar, how do I choose???

The third dress I tried on for her was my number two choice. It was identical in shape to the dress on Etsy that I had been considering buying. But it had lacy flowers. It was, essentially, a gorgeous 1950's wedding dress. I still LOVE it but we agreed that it was less of a wedding dress and really just a dress I desperately wanted to own. 

I still really want it.

The fourth dress I tried on for her was my top choice and rather similar to the dress that she had picked out for me. Once I saw it in the mirror again, I sighed. It was so pretty. I asked Steven's mom if she liked it better than the one she had picked out, since they were so similar, and she didn't so much say words as make happy noises. That was the reaction I was looking for. I had found it! This was the one! When I first saw it on the hanger for me to try on, I didn't think I would like it. Then I saw it on me and thought, "Now THAT'S a wedding dress." So I have it. My wedding dress. 

When I went back a day later to buy it, I made Steven come with me. When we walked in the door to the office, the dress was back on a mannequin just to the right. He'd see it for sure on the way out. Luckily, I pointed this out and they had us take the long way out so he didn't spot it. When she measured me, I was three different sizes. They said my chest was a six, my waist was an eight, and my hips were a ten. I never imagined buying a size ten wedding dress, but that's what I had to do. To fit my butt.

In about a year, I get to go back and start fittings to bring in the chest. But I have it! I've bought my wedding dress. The dress to marry Steven in. And it's gorgeous:

 

I'm kidding. Probably.

Great Customer Service

One day at work, I gestured wildly (I guess) and my engagement ring shot straight off my finger and bounced along the floor with the pathetic tinny ting sound that expensive metals make.

It became quite clear that the question of whether or not my ring truly fit had been answered. This posed a whole new dilemma: finding the time off on a weekend where I could get down to Shane Co to get my ring re-sized.

As someone who works retail (who is nearly always scheduled on the weekends) and works a second job that also likes to have me work on the weekend, who is marrying someone with a Monday through Friday job, figuring out getting down to Walnut Creek (sorry we didn't stop in and say hi, Sarah) became quite the puzzle. Luckily the stars aligned and I was scheduled to only work at one job on Sunday, compared to Saturday when I worked both, and I was able to convince Steven to take us down to drop off my ring.

So, with an hour and a half drive there and back, Shane Co opening at noon, and me having to be at work at three, we set out for a nearly impossible task. But the stars aligned and even though we were late at leaving the house, stopped for breakfast, and battled traffic, we arrived as the doors were being opened.

We joined the crowd (because apparently a lot of people have jewelry emergencies on the weekend) and wandered inside. The place was lovely inside. It has a foyer! We wandered in and were immediately helped by a gentlemen. He asked what he could do for us, and I said I needed my ring re-sized because it had shot off my finger. I tried on a few different sizes and we agreed on a new one. Once we had finished he asked if I would like to see any bands next to it. 

Now, anyone who read my blog about poor customer service will understand why this simple question made me so happy. This salesman possessed the great skill of deduction. He saw me take the ring off a certain finger. Saw me arrive with a hovering gentleman (the only time I'll call Steven a gentleman) and he figured it was safe to assume that this ruby ring of mine was an engagement ring. The man helped me find the absolute perfect wedding band to sit next to my ring and listened to Steven's preferences and helped him pick a ring that makes him happy, too. I will be going back to Shane Co to purchase my wedding ring shortly and couldn't be happier with the service I received.

But now I face being without my ring for the next few days...

Living Together Part One

After dating for 1,673 days long distance (I used a website, I didn't just know that number off the top of my head...), Steven and I finally moved in together. Now, we've both had roommates before but this whole living with your significant other led to some new experiences for both of us. We've learned a lot. This will be a long running blog theme, so we'll only cover a few things each time.

Living Without Your Sisters 

As most everyone who knows me knows, I lived with at least one of my two sisters, if not both, a brother-in-law, or a curly-haired, witty girl, up until the moment I came back from China in June, 2014. A brief homage to roommates past:

2009

2012

2013

So, the first things I learned after moving in with Steven actually have nothing to do with him. It wasn't his presence that changed my living situation but the lack of Bry, Sarah, Alia, or David. Suddenly, my clothes weren't disappearing.

MINE!

Above we see Bry in a shirt that was definitely mine. And David, it was safe to assume at one time, could always be found in a minimum of one of my socks. Which he would then ruin with his man feet and claim them as his own.

Caught in the act!

Here we see Alia. That plaid jacket is mine.

WHY, BRY???

Here we see Bry, once again in my shirt!

DAVID, WHY???

Here we see David in my blonde wig.

I could go on but I'm tired of browsing pictures on Facebook. Anywho, living without roommates approximately my size has meant that nobody else can steal my clothes! (Almost entirely true, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures...) On to what I learned.

Finishing Things

Finishing things is a two part discovery. The first part to it is that Steven and I have very different taste sometimes. As I learned recently, Steven doesn't like marshmallows. At least not to the degree that I do. At work, we sold marshmallows to go with marshmallow shooters. Neither sold well, just like every year, so we had packs of marshmallows left over. After Christmas they were marked down so I bought three bags to put in my morning coffee. When I brought them home, that's when I discovered that Steven had no interest in the marshmallows.

Within a rather short period, I discovered that I had run out of marshmallows. And then it hit me: I HAD EATEN ALL OF THE MARSHMALLOWS. This led to me realizing that I would always finish all of the marshmallows (until we have kids and I'm forced to share). The same thing is going to occur for a lot of things. The boring gluten free cereal I get to eat will get finished all by me. The lactose free milk I have to drink will expire if I don't drink it quickly enough because Steven buys his own milk. The pickles will be finished by me because Steven hates pickles. I have no one to blame when I finish certain things.

Finishing Things

I made another nice discovery about finishing things. Without other girls in the apartment, all of my girly products are lasting so much longer. When I buy my BB cream it isn't being smeared across three girl's faces each morning. It lasts three times as long! Weirder still: When I got back from China all I wanted was a familiar shampoo and conditioner. During my very first shopping trip back in the United States, I was determined to buy Aussi shampoo and conditioner. When I found it in Target, the only size they had were the 29.7 oz bottles! I hated the idea of paying $8.99 a bottle just to wash my hair, but I bought them anyway. And since I've been the only one using them.... I haven't had to buy new shampoo or conditioner...  for six months. In fact, I'm running low on shampoo (FINALLY) but I still have a dozen or so showers of conditioner left. But that's okay because unless I buy Steven new stuff when he runs out: