To Do Checklist...

...is getting smaller and smaller each day and I love it! As my previous post mentioned, the stress is building but after the weekend, it's nice knowing that things actually might be under control.

We were able to successfully wait in the (long) line at the Van Nuys Courthouse for what seemed like forever to get our marriage license. I was totally fine until the moment she asked us to raise our hands and declare that everything was correct. I started getting a little teary eyed at that moment along with some warm and fuzzies.

• the official paperwork •

For future brides or people who don't like doing silly games that go hand in hand with bridal showers, I highly suggest doing a jewelry making party! Our "theme" was jewelry making and all of our guests were able to make their own earrings. Some guests didn't make any while some made three or four but either way, it was so perfect having everyone sit around and doing something they would normally not do. I wish I had the hindsight to photo each of the girls with their creations but after a few mimosas, things like that are easily forgotten.

• jewelry preparation •

• some desserts •

• sun, mimosas and girls •

• mother and daughter •

On another note, my lil' sister just bought her first home and we got to visit it this weekend. It was so great to see all the hard work to make it her own. I'm so proud of lil' sis!

Winding into the Stress Season

There is so much to do in a short amount of time. I can't believe where the time has gone. We've had a long eleven month engagement which has helped to get a lot of the stuff done but still, we're less than six weeks away. I know that everything will work itself out, the celebrations will rock and we get to be in the company of all of our loved ones.

This weekend is the weekend where it all just sinks in with just how much still needs to be done. Here is just an idea of this weekend's itinerary and this is only for this weekend!

• Drive down to LA Thursday evening
• Check out LA Flower Market Friday morning by noon
• Head to courthouse to file for wedding license by two
• Head for dress fitting by six
-wind down time in the evening

• Wake up early for make-up trial by ten
• Meet with our husband-wife photographer team by one
• Bridal Shower - jewelry making theme for all the women by four
• Close friend's 30th Birthday celebration by eight
- wind down time in the evening

• Wake up early to meet with wedding venue by ten
• Meet with our DJ by one
• Drive back to Santa Clara

The weekend hasn't even started yet and I'm already tired. This is going to be a long and brutal weekend but we're coming into the home stretch so the excitement is starting to build.

Our eco-friendly invites have all been shipped and I am so happy with the final outcome of our invites. We found these invites that are 100% paper free and the exterior of the invites is made out of seeds so you get to plant our invite and watch it grow into flowers! We put together over 200 invites but it was a worthwhile task.

• the prep table •

We've also started putting together our Candy Bar and I never knew how expensive candy is! We're having a variety of Jelly Belly, Kisses, Starbursts, Skittles, M&M's, Red Vines and German Candy Eggs and you don't even want to know what that final cost was. For something that is so unhealthy and full of sugar, it sure is pricey! I even think that we might need to add a few more variety (e.g. lollipops) to make sure that we have enough for everyone. We now have to assemble our Chinese Take Out boxes and decorate them. Just another thing to do and this doesn't even include our Dessert Bar!

• the standard mess that lives upstairs •

It's funny because it doesn't seem like there is much more to do besides more DIY projects but as we get closer to each day, there is a little part inside of me that does a subtle freak out. It hasn't been external and to be honest, I have been nowhere close to be a crazy bride but it's just a lot of work for us to do. So I guess the whole working part time has actually been more of a blessing in disguise. It's helped give me a lot more time to put these little projects together while Marijn focuses more on his crazy work life.

Oh but I am looking forward to the relaxing part after! We're spending our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. Six days doing absolutely nothing except sitting by the beach and swim up bar. Although knowing us, we're going to want to get away to do a little white water rafting and zip lining but knowing that we don't have to do anything makes me warm and fuzzy.

So instead of counting down to the "big day," I'm going to countdown to our adventure in the Caribbean instead!

• our hotel •

• the coast of the Dominican Republic •

Coast Starlight Train Ride

I've been meaning to write about our New Year train trip since, well, the beginning of January and I started to write it but than completely forgot about it but oh well, writing now about it.

Anyway, Marijn and I both had two weeks off for the winter holiday, we knew that it was the perfect time to finally head off to Oregon to visit some of our friends and the best way to do it was by train!

We took the Coast Starlight train from San Jose to Salem, Oregon. Of course, we rolled in high style, taking the first class bedroom car. It was wonderful having our own room that included a chair and bathroom with shower but it still felt small. I think that on our next trip, we will take the roomette class, the extra space was nice but not needed. Although having the personal bathroom on the train was awesome, no need to hoover on a moving train!

•first class bedroom suite. it's huge!•

•mini-bathroom with shower right above toilet. at least we didn't have to share!•

One of the unfortunate aspects of our trip was that Amtrak's Parlor Car was out of service. It's a refurbished car that has wine tasting, real coffee bar, alternative meal options (train food is a step above airplane food but not as good as cruise food), lots of board games and HD TV's so we were a little bummed that we didn't get to enjoy in that luxury.

So we made our own luxury in our sleeping car because it provided the perfect opportunity for us to play games, take lots of photos with our fancy camera (and point and shoot) and just enjoy the scenery. I love the real relaxation that we finally got with traveling. No rush to catch the next flight or deal with airport security. We could have all of our focus on our environment, watching the world go by, take photos and just enjoy each other's company. This train ride got me really excited for our Trans-Siberian trip, can't wait for that (just a little over a year!) If one ever has time to take the train, it's highly suggested (although I would recommend paying the extra money so you don't have to travel in Coach).

•worth waking up early for these shots•

•electrifying sunrise•

•truly breathtaking•

•you can see the train coming out of the tunnel from the window•

•i'm a dork•

Year of the Ox

Some people consider Christmas, Halloween or gasp, Valentine's Day as their favorite holiday. Mine is the Lunar New Year (aka Tet/Chinese New Year).

I haven't been able to pinpoint why this is my favorite holiday but I think it's because it's the only one that I celebrate that's rooted in tradition. There isn't a tradition of decorating the Christmas tree or sitting around the table expressing what we're thankful for around our home. Instead, we start planning the celebration of the Lunar New Year just around Christmas time.

There is no need to wrap any gifts but it's important to start wrapping the lai see which is a red envelope that contains lucky money. It is customary to give the lai see to children or anyone younger than you however I like giving so I tend to give my lai see to everyone. I also make sure that the money is brand new since that just makes it even luckier :)

•fresh money and lucky envelope•

•ready to bring luck to the year of the ox•

We usually head over to my aunt's house since she is one who loves hostessing parties. She always does an amazing job of decorating the home. I think that tradition is that there must be 100 things in the house red. I don't think that they stick to it but sure try.

•the vietnamese altar•

•cherry blossom money tree•

There are also games that take us into long into the night and I have no clue what to call the first one. It's more of a children's game, we play this first and then lead into Vietnamese Blackjack. It's a silly game of placing coins on each object. If that object is rolled with the dice, than you win. It's basic and silly but mainly, just fun to play with the kids. The "elders" tend to like their Blackjack much better.

•cua/boai/tom•

•time to play•

•marijn getting involved and counting my coins. he's become a fan•

•time for the adults to play vietnamese blackjack•

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a wonderful year and really get to celebrate in this Year of the Ox (which President Obama happens to be! Year of Change it is!).

I'm looking forward to what is coming this way. It's going to rock. Like an Ox! ;)

Old Photos

It's already January and another year has passed! Don't worry, this isn't going to be one of those self-reflective blogs of where one looks back on the year past and then tries to figure out what this upcoming year is going to hold. No resolutions. No reflections. But more of a gasp that it's already January and there is only four months left for us to cross a bunch of stuff off our "wedding to-do list" which is about twenty pages long. Eek, where does the time go?!

One of the things that we're doing is asking our parents/grandparents for their wedding photos. Not sure what we are going to do with them but will figure out a way to incorporate them into evening. So far, I've received my grandparents wedding day photos and what a treat! They have been married for over 61 years which is amazing and even rare in the age that we live in. I was shocked when I only received about seven photos but according to them, they really didn't have a lot of photos. Back in 1946, you take the photos of the "key" events only and hope that the film comes out (unlike today's age where we are probably going to get a disc that contains 500+).

I wanted to share some of the photos of my grandparents wedding which is so simple and refreshing compared from the photos that I immerse myself in with all of this prep. Everything is so colorful, overwhelming with details that the average person isn't going to notice. I mean, do people really pay attention to what the linen colors really are or what specific "theme" you were going for?! I'm really glad that the girl gene skipped me and this wedding is going to be simple and fresh and hopefully, low maintenance!

So I had to share some of my latest inspiration, here are some photos from my grandparents wedding, aren't they cute?!

•walking down the aisle, august 1946•

•cutting the cake•

•the end of the night•

•the hotel bill. there isn't a single item in our wedding that is going to cost that•

•sixty years later with their kids on the alaskan cruise•