12.29.2009

bcbg dress love

$298

boots & a dress






oh my gosh...love, love, love. {it's in the fall, the leaves and the {to die for} boots}

these pictures make me not care as much if it rains on our wedding night.

see more here [& u should]

via

12.28.2009

gaga for j.crew gowns

[sale]$299
[debating on a black gown or using my other idea, to purchase a wedding gown that can be dyed black after the wedding]
$395

$425
$450

$595
$650
$750
[love this one but they are sold out. it would of been way out of my budget anywase (over a thousand). i'm thinking of using this as an inspiration piece for a custom made gown]

*i ideally don't want to go over $500, however, if i can dye it black afterwards, i could raise that to $1000

dresses via

12.23.2009

we're engaged!!!


PHEWW...
ok... hmm.. where to begin?....

i did so much today. since i'm having a hard time editing it down for this post, i'm gonna relive(write) this whole day with you. (whoever YOU are).

i woke up early today to finish my last christmas gift project. while i was taking care of this i called dee (my besty) to fill her in on the itinerary for the day. i shared with her that i was nervous about asking ro's mom for her blessing. dee was able to pep talk me into being ok about it. as soon as i hung up with dee, i called auntie grace (ro's mom). of course she was busy and could only see me at the office in town, she also asked if i could bring her something she needed from ro. (i knew this would be a little speed bump in my plan but i had to tell her i could). when i mentioned to ro that i was going to collect from him what his mom needed he got suspicious. he immediately started asking me what i was up to and that i better not be proposing to him. (he only had a heads up on the "possible" situation because i am HORRIBLE at surprises and have been warming him up to the idea of me proposing to him) he was so serious and adamint about me not asking him that i thought about how i could get out of meeting with his mom. a couple of thoughts later i realized that i was too deep into it and that i really wanted to carry on with my plan (regardless of his opinion that men are supposed to ask) i decided to make sure that i try to limit my conversations with him all day so i wouldn't get stuck listening to him try to scare me out of my idea. After i finished up with my errands, I went back home to cook us breakfast and to get what his mom needed. our breakfast conversation seemed to go back to him pleading with me to get the idea of proposing to him out of my mind because it's a mans job to ask, blah blah blah, is what i heard, i got really good at ignoring the talk i didn't want to hear. :) the only person who would have the power to make me reevaluate my plan was his mom.

so, after breakfast i headed to town to meet up with his mom. this was by far the most anxiety filled event of the day (besides the actual proposal). on my way there i spent my drive filling in ash (good friend) on the events. before i got to aunty grace's office i was playing over in my head how to present the question..statement... idea.... i settled with reassurance. i knew already the thoughts that were going on in her head of why i needed to see her in person (like pregnancy, breaking up, etc, etc.) i'm sure she was more then relived to learn that all i wanted was her blessing to ask her son to marry me. she was nothing but supportive and happy for us. her positive reaction was the very thing i needed to feel amazing about my decision (i had already felt good about it, but didn't want to get my hopes up to high just in case his mom didn't approve)

my appointment to pick up the ring was for 4 o'clock on the north shore at foodland by pupukea. i didn't want to be late so i headed there right after i left the office. i also changed my plan on how i was going to propose. my new plan was to take a picture of the, "will you marry me?", question in the sand at the beach that my mom's ashes were scattered at, then go to yanagi's (ours and his uncle rainer's (his uncle that he was really close to that happened to pass away a few months after my mom passed) favorite restaurant) and give him that picture there. i really liked this new plan because it incorporated both his uncle and my mom.

i got to the north shore really early so i spent sometime with my mom and took care of the proposal polaroid. when i got to the beach the sand looked like it was a blank canvas and that it was waiting for me to propose in it. it was like my mom, gods, forces, or whatever and whoever, prepared it just for me.




i met up with david from sea babe jewelry at 4 to get the ring. the ring wasn't exactly what i thought it was gonna look like, (because i messed up the order) but it didn't bother me much. i figured i'd roll with it. after reflecting on all of this, i realize that i am happy with the hammered finish as opposed to the smooth.

once i had the ring in my possession i knew it was gonna be hard for me to not spill the beans before yanagi so as soon as i got home i took a nap. before i fell asleep ro informed me that he didn't feel good and that he felt like he was getting sick (ohhh, ohhhh... i knew that that meant he was going to be grouchy.)

As suspected, he was a grouchy face! i did everything in my power to just roll with it to prevent an unneseccary fight. (success!!! there was no fighting) after we ordered and our beer arrived, i handed him THE polaroid. it was then that i started to tear and he said yes.


and that's my story.

12.22.2009

wed. advice: photography

"Your wedding photographer will probably try to convince you to do two hours+ of portraits before the ceremony. He wants you to be able to go straight to the reception after the ceremony, but he also wants to capture the first moment you see each other in your wedding garb without any pesky wedding guests in the way. What you get is those incredibly stagy "first look" photos, where the bride and groom just end up looking like they're posing.

Come on. You're nervous. You're about to get married. And then you're supposed to turn and look at each other and be all lovestruck and amazed while pretending there's not a camera pointing at you?

You're robbing yourself of the (trust me) incredible moment of seeing each other for the first time at the altar. Or the arch or the stump or whatever. And you're robbing your guests of the joy of seeing you see each other for the first time.

For fuck's sake, please just take a little time to do portraits after the ceremony. They'll come out much better because you will be SMILING YOUR ASS OFF. You'll barely notice the camera. (Trust me.)"


great advice. thanks ESB. i've been seeing all these great wedding pics and yes, they are beautiful but some just don't ring true. they look so perfect that they could be mistaken as a magazine photo shoot). i suppose there is nothing wrong with that, BUT, i personally appreciate the candid, off the wall pics more because they are capable of capturing that exact magical moment.

(i'm sure i'll be guilty of some magazine photo shoot pictures too when i get married, he he)

a list





















1. clean your desk or work station or kitchen table
2. wash your car or at least clean the inside
3. make thank you cards in advance for people who gave you a xmas gift you weren't expecting
4. donate a gift
5. make some cookies for a random person you deal with often for errands (i.e. mail person, bank teller, bartender, barista, etc.)
6. make love
7. make use of your netflix account and watch a new movie or old fav
8. make your bed
9. blog a list like this
10. call some friends you haven't spoken to in awhile

*i have no idea why cleaning kept popping in my head while i was making this list.

{inspired by this rad lady
}

butterflies...

because the ring:


is bought!


OMG... this is really happening. {he's gonna kill me for asking him}

12.21.2009

winter wonderlands





though i've always spent my christmas's in places with warm climates with no snow, i still feel in my heart that christmas isn't a real christmas without a winter wonderland. i am looking forward to the christmas that ro and i can spend it in a winter wonderland.

images via

proposal idea #1


{this camera}
+

{a polaroid that asks, will you marry me?}
+

{at this beach, written in this sand}
=

{the proposal}

secrets to a happy marriage


"Last word to the wise--everything is a negotiation and agreement. Remember that there are two parties in the relationship, and together you're so much greater than the sum of your parts. When you're headed out to see District 9 instead of Julie & Julia, you may just find that the action flick is exactly what the doctor ordered."
- Brooke Williams and Josh Liberson

"When you're married, your partner's pain becomes your pain. You long to carry the weight of the world for each other. When he has a tough day at work, I want to march down to his office and battle his demons. When I would rather jump off a cliff than compose yet another blog post, he wishes he could write in my stead. But you can't do everything for your partner, nor should you diminish each other's self-sufficiency.

So, instead, we find small ways to lighten the other's load. I can't sit through his boring five-hour conference call but I can pick him up at the train station and give him a big hug. He can't scour the web for the ten best ottomans, but he can bring me a mug of hot tea and some fuzzy socks. Small tokens of unsolicited support make a big impact and say, 'I love you, I'm proud of you, I think you're doing a great job.' At the end of the day, isn't that all we want to hear anyway?"
- Anne Sage

"Take a mini-moon. Frequently. Mini-moons originated with my parents who were married between the fall and winter break in college, and so didn't have time for a proper honeymoon. To make up for it, they took little vacations they called "mini-moons," where they would leave their six kids in the hands of a capable babysitter and spend a weekend away."
- Brooke Reynolds

"My husband and I have been married for only four months, but before we were married we took a nearly four-month backpacking trip to Thailand. Even though we had been together for years, we learned so much from the experience. So my advice is: Take adventures! No matter how big or small your adventure, you'll plan together, be spontaneous together, and create wonderful memories from the ups and downs."
- Ellie

""Love your other how they need to be loved, not how you need to be." A friend told me this simple mantra, saying that it had transformed his parents' marriage. It has stuck with me ever since. It makes so much sense and yet is so easy to forget because I think by nature we tend to be pretty selfish. Love is selfless, though, and what truly makes me happy is when my husband is happy. So, a key to a good marriage is trying your best to focus on what your significant other needs you to be to him, instead of what you want him to be to you."
- Anna Bond

*these are all {advice&pic} via cup of joe

muoosh, guoosh, love quotes


For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.
-judy garland

Love is saying 'I feel differently' instead of 'You're wrong.
- unkown

Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option
-unknown (not a muoosh guoosh, but a goody)

The friendship between a man and a woman which does not lead to marriage or desire for marriage may be a life long experience of the greatest value to themselves and to all their circle of acquaintance and of activity; but for this type of friendship both a rare man and a rare woman are needed. Perhaps it should be added that either the man or the woman thus deeply bound in lifelong friendship who seeks marriage must find a still rarer man or woman to wed, to make such a three cornered comradeship a permanent success.
- amy garlin spencer

The real act of marriage takes place in the heart, not in the ballroom or church or synagogue. It's a choice you make - not just on your wedding day, but over and over again -- and that choice is reflected in the way you treat your husband or wife.
- barbara de angelis

For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked.
- bill crosby

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
-mignon mclaughlin

shhh....

something big is about to happen and r doesn't know yet. after knowing him for over 9 years and being with him for a little over two years, i am ready to take the next step and propose. i'm sure many of you traditionalists, friends and family are thinking i'm crazy for wanting to do this... but what can i say, when i want something, i'll work at making it happen. my heart is beating so fast just writing this... ha ha... and guess what.. he's laying right next to me asleep. i just found the perfect ring for him at sea babe jewelry. not only does it fit the criteria of being a simple gold band made from a local vendor but it is also made by a vendor that is based out of my second hometown, the north shore. i just emailed them tonight about getting it by this christmas eve. i hope it all works out and i can purchase it by then. please keep your fingers crossed for me.

oh.. before i forget...



we are RandR!