Embrace Thanks

Julibean sent this to me the other day and I thought it was wonderful.



Thanksgiving is one of THE most traveled days out of the year. Please stay safe, be smart, and buckle up.

Embrace Life. Embrace Thanks. Have a happy and healthy holiday.

MM: JT FTW

Hate me if you want.

Seriously.

It's alright.

Because sometimes I hate myself.

But there's always been something about this break away boyband artist that I've adored.

Jason can't stand it.

Sometimes I can't stand it myself.

When Future Sex Love Sounds came out Julibean gave it to me for Christmas because it's totally a guilty pleasure of mine.

I love Justin Timberlake's music. There, I said it.

It has a good beat, I like the way his voice sounds and most of all he doesn't take himself seriously. I mean, I'm not sure I can count the number of times he's been on SNL anymore.


Plus this morning we drove past the golf course in Bethpage off of 135. Normally we don't take that route when carpooling but it gave me the willies a little.

Long story short a girl I knew was found there. When we worked together we would always rock out to JT whenever he came up on the soundtrack. So between that, NKOTBSB epic reunion this weekend and thinking about disco balls for some reason yesterday, here is your Man for today!

WW: Finally!

Considering the fact that I was quite disappointed with my Kleinfelds experience I was really dreading trying to make appointments and find other bridal salons and boutiques who carried designers I was interested in.

Stephanie James Couture is only really in about four stores total on the East Coast. There's a store in Pittsburgh, which I really didn't want to have to go to because it's a hell of a drive in the winter. There's Kleinfelds, which I was underwhelmed with their selection. There's a store in Burlington, and there's a store in Philadelphia.

I emailed the store in Burlington, VT (Sewly Yours) and they were very friendly and helpful. They said they had the Audrey but not the Ms Kennedy or the Stella, but they'd be willing to borrow the dresses if I wanted them to. Burlington is a bit of a schlep for me. It's 3 hours past Albany and about 3 hours northwest of Jason's family in NH too. It wouldn't be terribly easy to venture to however I thought I'd keep them as an option since they were so nice.

I called the store in Philadelphia, PA (Van Cleve Wedding Pavilion) and spoke with Abby. She was super sweet and told me that they are new to Stephanie James as well and don't have any dresses in the store yet but will be getting the Audrey and Ms Kennedy in early January. Better yet she told me that they'd be getting those dresses in size 12. Oh hello, size 12 bridal is size 10 street clothes typically and that is something I can definitely get on and get a good idea of how it would look on me. So I was thrilled about that. Also! At the end of January they were having a little mini trunk show and more of SJC dresses would be in the store! The Stella dress is something I still really really want to try on and Abby said she would call them and ask them to include it in the trunk show in a size 12 if they hadn't already planned on doing so, so that way I could try it on.

I am one happy camper about this.

I made an appointment for that Saturday and I really can't wait! I finally feel better about this whole dress search. Plus, since we'll be in Philly we can see my godparents and even if she's free take my godmother Ginny dress shopping with us.

Ginny doesn't have any children so I feel extra special that I might get to share dress shopping with her because she's been such a fixture in my life for so long and she really is important to me.

Finally! Some good news!

The Lulu Saga: A Neverending Story

This summer Lulu got hit in the parking lot of the Dick's Sportings Good at the mall. I was super pissed that I didn't notice it before we drove off, otherwise I would have torn the red pick up truck driver who couldn't fit into the spot next to mine without mashing into my door and folding back my mirror a piece of my mind. I definitely would have at least taken down his license plate and reported him to the police so I wouldn't have to pay for the damages myself.

But of course I didn't realize it until we were on the road and Jaclyn had mentioned my mirror was folded. We were in a rush and I hadn't needed to look at that mirror so she folded it back and we went on our merry way. Got home and realized that the guy next to me had really nailed Lulu's passenger side door pretty good.

Took a nice chunk out of the crown of the car door and dented it too. Awesome.

I didn't get around to taking care of it until now.

One of the guys who works in the shop at work has a friend who owns a body shop nearby and he said he'd fix it for me. Fill it in, repaint the door, seal it up good so it wouldn't rust over the winter.

So I dropped off Lulu Friday night, picked her back up Sunday morning (before running out the door to Kleinfelds) and it was beautiful. Rick did an awesome job. He even detailed her for me.

I don't think Lulu has been that clean since I got her.

Meanwhile, I was due for an inspection, new registration, and a service. Dropped Lulu off at our dealership and asked them to do the Subaru 30,000 mile service, change the spark plugs and whatnot. I had just gotten an oil change a month before so I didn't need that.

All together the service tech said it'd be about $300-400. Okay. That's not horrible. Lulu hasn't really cost me any money since I've bought her, she hasn't needed any major repairs and a lot of the time the services were cheap and half of my oil changes have been free.

When I picked up Lulu though I paid a bill for over $500. WTF!?!

I had had a really bad day. There was a lot going on at work, I was exhausted and moody and felt like I was going to burst into tears any second. Plus my service tech wasn't there and no one else would have known what we had spoken about on the phone. So I really didn't want to be that girl who cried and screamed at them when it wasn't their fault, it was this one particular guy's fault. The other people down in the service area are very friendly and explain things and even print out an itemized list for me because I like to keep track of things. This one service tech I got this time really threw me for a loop.

Turns out they wound up giving me the dealership service instead of the Subaru service and the dealership services is basically a load of crap that I could have either done myself or didn't really need done in the first place. Whereas the Subaru service recommended by the manufacturer is a series of tests, checking one or two vital engine parts and flushing the fluids.

I'm livid, but I'm also incredibly busy at work this week so I haven't had a chance to call back. My father was away on business and got home last night so we got a chance to look at the bill and suss out exactly what had happened. Meanwhile they busted something in Lulu's business while they were in there doing god knows what, and now the button to circulate the air throughout the cabin doesn't work.

So not only did they break something in my car, but they charged me for things I said I didn't want and gave me the wrong service. Forgive me, but I'm going to have a

DON'T THEY KNOW WHO WE ARE

moment. My family bought three cars from this dealership. Not only that but technically we're also VIPs because we have friends at Fuji Heavy Industries. Up on the sales floor everyone knows us, when we're dropping off a car for a service we'll go up and say hi and chat a bit with the sales people. They're awesome. They're wonderful. They're service techs obviously need to learn a thing or two about how to treat customers.

Coincidentally I got not only a coupon from the dealership in the mail yesterday, but also a letter from the head of the sales team asking how my service went, hoping that if we got a survey we'd be "Completely Satisfied" in everything and if not to contact him. Let's just say my father will be making a call to Mr Sales Lead Sweatervest Man and hopefully he can do something for us.

I hate when people automatically think that just because I'm a woman I don't know what my car needs and what it doesn't need. I hate when people try to sell me on things I don't want and I hate when I get overcharged for something that I can easily do myself!

No Dancing, Just Uncertainty

Oh joy of joys...



Looks like I won't be moving to Virginia.

Looks like we'll be trying to find Jason a new job.

Looks like we'll have to move Jason someplace new right in the midst of holiday traffic.

Merry Christmas!

WW: Oy to the Vey

So I mentioned how disappointed I was that Kleinfelds didn't have the Audrey dress. At the advice of Keasha I called the store to see if the dress could be borrowed again from the designer or if the could borrow it from another store.

I spoke with the woman in charge of all the inventory and she said that the dress was in a box ready to be shipped back to California.

Which really means, that the dress was in the store somewhere in the basement when I was there trying on dresses but they just couldn't find it.

Seriously?!

Sunday after running around like crazy Casey, my mother and I trained into the city to see this dress. We didn't have an appointment, the woman on the phone said I didn't need one if I was just coming in to try on the one dress so we waited until a room became available.

It was all wrong. Not only was it a size 6 (in street clothes bridal 6 = size 4), but it looked like it had been run over by a tractor. I shimmied into it (barely, I'm a size 14 here people) and it just felt all wrong.

Maybe it would have been better if it had been a size I could squeeze into it would have looked okay but my Mother hated it and I wasn't feeling happy about it either.

I've been dreaming about the Audrey dress for like two years now, and I was so disappointed again. I just wanted to cry.

I know I'll find a dress. I know I'll love it when I do, but this was just utterly heartbreaking.

DPF: Thus and Verily

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Today's Dance Party Friday is in celebration of Guy Fawkes!

Something tells me if I lived in England Guy Fawkes Day/Night would be something I could get into. It seems like a cross between Halloween and Independence Day which are two of my most favorite holidays here in the states.

It seems like a day of Thanksgiving and although Turkey Day isn't my favorite thing I still appreciate the "giving thanks" nature behind the holiday.

So please enjoy this snapshot from a few years ago of Jim gett'n down with his bad self, Guy Fawkes style:


And as always, remember remember...

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent

To blow up the King and Parli'ment.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence he was catch'd (or by God's mercy*)

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holla boys, Holla boys, let the bells ring.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

And what should we do with him? Burn him!

IOU

I owe you:

• Halloween Happenings
• Dress Hunting, not a spectator's sport
• A kid, a kid!
  

WW: Dress hunting, not a spectator's sport

So on Saturday we hopped on the train and ventured into the City. It was nice to spend some quality time with the girls. Julianne was up from the MD with Nancy her future mother in law, and Jaclyn was out and about in her newly purchased maternity jeans.

Can I just go off on a tangent here and say that I'm super excited for this baby? We find out if they are having a boy or a girl around Thanksgiving! And Jaclyn looks fabulous, I'm a little peeved at how good she looks with her little baby bump.

Anyway...

I have to say that originally I was super excited to go to Kleinfelds and get the whole wedding dress shopping experience and try on some Stephanie James dresses but as the date approached I was dreading it more and more.

Let me make myself clear. I am in no way dreading being married, I love my fiance and can't wait to have a life and a home and a family with him. I am however, starting to stress over the wedding itself and the search for my dress has only added onto that stress.

So here we are standing in the lobby of Kleinfelds waiting for Keasha to come get us for my appointment and the whole place is buzzing with activity. The store itself is pretty grandiose and it's an impressive space for the city.

Keasha and her assistant Gabrielle (maybe Gabriella-I'm awful with names) bring us back to the dressing room and we chat about the important things like my budget and what I want and what I'm looking for and we hit the ground running.

I tried on the Josephine dress and it was okay but not my favorite. I tried on something that looked like a cross between the Tame Fifi and the Olivia dress. Mostly they were okay but didn't feel very special. The Ms Kennedy dress looked fantastic on me I just wasn't thrilled with the horizontal stripes in the fabric. They're very pretty but don't look so great on me.

For my mother I tried on a very tight fitting very ornate dress. It looked amazing on me. That I'll admit, but it just wasn't "me" and I couldn't move so much in it. Forget trying to sit down.

My biggest let down was the fact that they didn't have the Audrey dress in the store. Here's where I was baffled. They had it in their store window and when I asked about it they looked at me like I was crazy. I explained that I didn't call ahead because I had seen it in the window and assumed that if it was in the display that it was available to try on in the store. Finally when I described it as the dress with the polka dots and the blue tulle they figure it out.

They went down to see if it was still around and of course it wasn't. Basically I was hugely disappointed in the whole experience. Keasha was awesome, like she's just as hilarious and fun and sweet as she is on TV. Randy is fabulous and a hell of a lot skinnier than he looks on TV, and everyone was very helpful. I guess I just had these huge expectations and nothing worked out the way I had hoped.

It was an exhausting day and right after my appointment we flew right into Julibean's and boy was that even more exhausting.

I've said it before and I'll say it again though, my mother and I might never agree on what a "wedding dress" should look like. To me my thought is, if I wear it on my wedding day, it's a wedding dress. To my mother she feels it must be something special or ornate or detailed.

We'll continue to knock heads over this I believe.