Thursday in Florida

We met up at my sister's house on Thursday. We were excited with anticipation. So excited that we stayed up too late the night before. Carolyn dropped us off at the airport and we did the neccesary check-in stuff. Curt accidently left tools for his bike in his carry on. So they made him check in the bag. This was my first time flying since the airline industry cracked down on liquids in a bottle. So it was interesting. We had lots of time so we grabbed coffee, lunch, and chilled out.

The flight was really comfortable. We snacked on some goodies that Carolyn packed for us: gum, carrots, crackers, fruit snacks, and chocolate chip cookies. Thanks Carolyn! The flight attendent also noticed Curt's height and let us sit in row 4 which is right behind first class. We had plenty of room to shift our legs and butts. Sun Country also gave us chicken bbq sandwiches. They were good, but simple compared to the meal served in first class. We didn't understand why there was a visible divide between coach and first class. The divide was a sheer curtain so we could see everything that was going on. Maybe it's for status or something. Anyway, Curt's ears are super sensitive to changes in pressure, but he found a trick to lessen the pain and it worked! During the descent he plugged his nose and blew out really hard. I was afraid that he was going to blow his brains out!

We had a brief stop at Fort Myers before checking into the hotel. The bike made it safely too! Whew. We needed to get something to eat so we ventured down to the race venue and found an pizzeria in an outdoor mall. Then it was back to the hotel for sleep.

Friday in Florida

We slept in and took our time gettting ready for the day. Our first stop was breakfast at Cracker Barrel. The food was yummy. Curt had some oatmeal with pecans and raisins. I enjoyed a hashbrown casserole and an egg sandwich. There was a cool golf tee/mind game on the tablet. We tried to beat it, but we failed after many attempts. Then we picked up some produce, snacks, cereal, and beverages at Publix. Publix is everywhere in FL. It's a fabulous grocery store chain. Everything is clean and neatly stocked. I took a midmorning nap while Curt put his bike together. Later in the afternoon we went to Tampa to visit the MOSI science museum. We saw an IMAX presentation of Hurricanes in the Bayou. It was a good show. We also went to the planetarium and checked out other exhibits. We went into an exhibit where the display was of a basement in a tornado situation. I got kind of freaked out. You can check out the picture. I also took a picture of what a baby looks like when it is at four months in the mother's womb. We thought of Marcy when we took this picture who is four months pregnant herself! In the evening we met up with Heidi and grabbed dinner at Panera.

Saturday in Florida

Heidi and Curt used the late morning and afternoon for pre-race day preparation. They were also able to get some pretty light workouts in before leaving their bikes at the race venue. I used this time to walk around and check out the St. Petersburg sites. It's such a cute area! I can see why people would want to retire here. After finishing their preparations we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at a restaurant really close to the race venue. It was packed full of other triathletes. The excitement was definitely in the air. We were all pretty tired and made it back to the hotel. We rested for a few hours before grabbing dinner at an Italian place. There was a wedding going on at the hotel. I didn't completely crash the wedding. But I did take a picture of the their cute escort name cards. We all went to bed by 8:30 or 9 pm.

Sunday in Florida

The day finally arrives! We were both up by 4 am. I needed to shower and Curt needed to digest his cereal and oatmeal. We met up with Heidi in the hotel lobby at 4:45 am and left for the race. It was still very dark out. I will leave it up to Curt to provide his version of the race. For me it was really fun to be a spectator. The weather was amazingly perfect, the race site was cool, and it was fun to see lots of people. I was excited that Curt had a good race. It's always fun to do well.

Conclusion: Awesome long weekend. I was able to escape, even if for a little bit from the stresses of my routine. But it's nice to be back at home. We also made a few interesting observations. Is the way of life so relaxed that customer service is so slow? We had many experiences where our waitress or counter barista was moving at a snails pace. Also, we spotted more transgender people than usual. Any reason why?

Florida Here We Come!

It's about 18 hours until we fly away to a different location. Destination? Tampa, Fl. I am so excited. I'm excited because I haven't gone on a vacation in three years. I'm excited to get a mini-break from teaching. I'm excited to have a change of scenery. I'm excited to watch Curt race in his first triathlon of the season. But I'm just super excited to travel out of the state with Curt.

I feel grateful that this week is going by fast. School has been quite busy. I'm hoping that I will be able to forget about deadlines and projects and student issues. Rather I will be praying for a time of rest and relaxation with my love, Curt. I will also be praying for safe travels and good health.

We will try our best to document the wknd with pictures. I'm sure Curt will provide a race recap on his blog too...check it out...curtwood.blogspot.com

take care!

Constructing the wedding party outfit

The bridesmaid dresses came in! After picking them up I rushed to Savvi Formalwear in Southdale to see how they look next to the chocolate brown tuxes. At first I was a bit bummed by what I saw, the browns didn't match (I expected this), but knew that with the right accessories I could pull off a rich tonal look for the wedding party!

The rental accessories at Savvi didn't really satisfy my tastes for the groomsmen. So I decided it would be a nice gesture to buy ties for them to wear and keep. I went to the men's department at Macy's and bought a bunch of ties and brought them back to the tux store. Nothing really looked good. I asked the Savvi people if I could take the tux jacket to Macy's to do some color coordinating. It was okay with them.

With the help of some friendly Macy's sales people we found a tie that matched the girls' dresses perfectly. Unfortunately there was only 1 at the store! So today I went to the Mall of America and cleaned out their entire inventory (i purchased 3 more ) of Joe ties by Joseph Abboud.

a visit with claire bear

on friday we had friends over. Jerrod and his girfriend Susanna came all the way from Texas. It was nice because the entire Kachelmyer family came over too. it was super fun to see baby Claire. Seeing her made me really happy. We got to hang out and play! It will be fun to see her when she starts crawling.

wknd recap

We've been too busy! I wanted to recap the fun we had last wknd a lot sooner, but it's been such a tasky-oriented week with lots of school related stuff. I'm not sure why Americans always end up being so busy.

Last friday we had dinner with my high school friends Steve and Shannon. On Saturday I brunched with Regina at the Original Pancake House in Southdale. Then, Curt, Curt's dad, and I had our own swim session at the Lifetime pool. It was fun to train together. Then our parents got together to have dinner with us at Bucas in EP. Fun! Finally on Sunday I got to bike outside on my new bike! The first bike I got for Christmas from Heidi had issues with the shifting. Luckily she had another bike that I could use.

It's been such a good, busy, stressful week. We are excited that it is Friday tomorrow. This wknd will be fun for sure. In the mean time check out pictures from last wknd.

Ceremony Music

I've put a lot of "investigative" work into finding string players for the ceremony. I've emailed music professors from MSU and Gustavus. I've put a notice on Craig's List. I've emailed teachers from both Mankato East and West. I also emailed the general manager for the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. My first tangible option was a trio from the Mankato Suzuki School of Music. I was excited at first, but then became leary about the "suzuki" method of teaching and the fact that we could have some novices. Creaking violins don't sound the best! Then, the Mankato Orchestra put me in contact with one of their members, Steve Dunn, who teaches at West and plays the violin! Steve plays in an ensemble with his wife and sister. Sweet.

Anyway, here our my ideas for ceremony music:

Prelude:
Brandenburg concerto III, 3rd movement (Bach)
Simple Gifts
Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach)
Processional:
Canon in D (Pachelbel)
Music after opening prayer:
Be Thou My Vision
Candle Lighting Ceremony:
Come What May (as a male vocal)
Communion Music:
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach)
Lord's Prayer (Malotte)
Recessional
Entrance of Queen Sheba (Handel)
Postlude
Ten minutes of baroque pieces

by the way...the picture is of the director for the mankato orchestra...kind of cheesy.

Flower Update

As you read in the previous post I put down a deposit to go with Becky's Floral. Things have changed. My friend Bao has a friend named Eric who worked for several years with Wisteria Floral Design Studio in mpls. Eric now has his very own business called Floral Logic. You can go to florallogic.com. Eric's goal is to provide the same look of Wisteria, but at a cheaper cost. I met with him and was really impressed with his eye for color and design. He is a true artist. Becky's Floral would have been beautiful, but I could not pass up going with a designer floral person especially if we were able to stay within a budget!

Check out Eric's plan for our wedding flowers:

wedding flower proposal

10 April, 2007

For the wedding of Christine Mai & Curt Wood

Wedding Date 10 November, 2007

Wedding flowers will convey an overall contemporary feel, employing a focused palette of flower and color choices. Complimenting Christine’s champagne colored dress and the brown color of the attendants’ dresses and mens’ tuxedos, we will coordinate the flowers through the use of white, champagney-beige, bright green, and brown (as an accent). Flowers to include white Hydrangea, champagney-beige “Sahara” Roses, bright green “Kermit” Mums, green miniature Cymbidium Orchids, white with dark center miniature Gerbera Daisies and brown Fern Shoots, with additional berry and leaf accents where appropriate in the bouquets and other personal flowers.

Christine’s Bouquet

Smaller in scale, Christine’s bouquet will complement her champagne colored dress and be designed with an overall white, cream and champagne color palette accented with brown. Flowers will include Hydrangeas, “Sahara” Roses, miniature Gerbera Daisies and Fern Shoots. Finished with a tight collar of looped variegated Aspidistra leaves, the bouquet will also feature a full stem wrap in taupey-champagne double faced satin ribbon accented with pearl headed pins.

cost - $85.

Curt’s Boutonnière

Coordinating with Christine’s bouquet, this Boutonnière will feature a two brown fern shoots, backed by a dark green Salal (“lemon”) leaf and accented by cream Hypericum berries. Finished in a brown floral tape wrap.

cost - $8.

Attendants’ Bouquets (3)

Featuring an overall white, champagne and bright green color palette, we will design these bouquets with “Sahara” Roses, “Kermit” mums, miniature Gerbera Daisies and Fern shoots. These will be finished in a similar treatment to Christine’s bouquet with looped leaves, satin ribbon, and pearl headed pins.

cost - $40. each

Groomsmen (3)

These boutonnières will feature bright green “Kermit” mums backed by a Lemon leaf and accented by cream Hypericum berries. Finished in a brown floral tape wrap.

cost - $8. each

Ushers (2)

These boutonnières will be similar to the groomsmen but feature a unique accent

cost - $8. each

Mothers (2)

Featuring a focal of two individually wired miniature Cymbidium Orchids, these corsages will be accented with cream Hypericum berries and finished with variegated Pittisporum foliage. Finished in a brown floral tape wrap.

cost - $12. each

Fathers (2)

Similar to the mothers’ corsages, but featuring a single miniature Cymbidium bloom and backed by a Lemon leaf. Finished in a brown floral tape wrap.

cost - $8. each

Grandmother

This corsage will be finished in a similar fashion to the mothers’ corsages but feature a focal point of two small “Sahara” Roses.

cost - $12.

Grandfathers (2)

Similar to the fathers’ boutonnières but featuring a single “Sahara” Rose as a focal point.

cost - $8. each

Cost Breakdown

Total flower costs 321.00

Total cost for items rented 0.00

Subtotal 321.00

Set up and delivery (10%) Pick-Up

Subtotal 321.00

Tax (7.15%) 22.95

Grand Total 343.95

Happy Easter and Delicious Kettle Corn

We forgot to take pictures from the Easter wknd. oh well. but it was fun eating a lot of yummy food and getting treats in our easter baskets. saturday night we had pho (vietnamese soup) and make your own spring rolls with beef, squid, and shrimp. curt and I also brought over some ingredients for dessert. tapioca pearls in coconut milk! yum. it was our first time making it so we will have to make improvements for next time. then on sunday we feasted on lots of eggs, green beans, cheesy potatoes, fruit, and more beans.

after eating on sunday a group of us went for a walk and were accompanied at the last minute by Hank, a neighbor's dog. he followed us the entire way and kind of acted as our tour guide. he had a blast!

we also became addicted to Angie's Kettle Corn...it was in our easter basket from curt's mom and dad. check out the website...angieskettlecorn.com.

ceiling draping and backdrop

ideas for the reception hall...

Centerpieces!

If anyone is getting married in Mankato and is in need of a decorator, I would highly recommend Pat Hanson of Silk Expressions. She's amazing and super duper nice. Anyway, I met with her yesterday to finalize reception decorations and to make some changes. Check out our centerpieces. We will have a mixture of high and low table centerpieces. The high centerpiece is a tall clear vase with 2 gerbera daisies. The vase will be grounded with a mirror and votive candles just like the picture. The low centerpiece is similar to the one in the picture, but we won't have a square vase. Instead Pat will provide us with a small hurricane, white rocks, and a floating gerbera that is also grounded with a mirror and votive candles.

fuschia pink, tangerine orange, and vibrant green

Flower update: We have our florist! Becky's Floral of Mankato! I met with them yesterday to talk flowers. It was fun. Since the entire wedding party will be wearing chocolate brown I thought infusing vibrant color with flowers would be good. I also had an interest in doing just white and green flowers to give a very lush, fresh look. I couldn't make up my mind so here is what we are doing...

bridesmaids: each will have 5 gerbera daisies (fuschia pink, orange, and pale pink), chrysanthemum buttons (green) which i totally love, and airy green fillers such as vibernum.
the guys: their boutonnieres will be 2 chrysanthemum buttons. how cute!
corsages for moms and grandma: white roses, vibernum, and green chrysanthemum buttons
curt's boutanniere: white rose, green chrysanthemum buttons, and white hydrangea
my bouquet: round tied bouquet of white roses, white hydrangea, vibernum, and green chrysanthemum buttons.

so everyone will be wearing the chrysanthemum bottons which Becky's calls kermits! how cute! i love that particular color of green!

Change of plans

We are going to elope in Las Vegas later this week! We decided it was a perfect time to do it. I have the entire week off and the work load has lessened for Curt at work. Wedding planning was fun and all but it was getting a bit stressful with school and training. I'll still incorporate my originial ideas for a traditional wedding fused with asian and fall touches, but it will be nice to be able to use the summer for an extra long honeymoon to wherever we choose. We realize this is a last minute decision and are worried we won't be including family and friends. But we are planning an informal reception in late August to include loved ones. Thanks for all the support!



foolish folly!!!!!! april showers bring lots of May flowers!