In the absence of knitting content...

I know I've been neglecting my knitting and my knitting content for a while now. It's not that nothing happens here, on the knitting front, but I need to talk and explain and make excuses, and that takes time and energy that I don't really have quite yet. There will be lots soon, though. I promise. I leave you with this very knitterly T-shirt, from our heroes at Threadless.
See you soon, needles and yarn!!

Who are YOU?!

Who's that? That's Emmet!
No, Ant didn't let me loose at the cat shelter (a very dangerous thing to do, by all accounts). Since I started working full time, Suki's been very lonely. On my days off and the weekends, she'd cling to us very badly and she would cry when I left home for work. It's been a very difficult decision to make (her being such a single child and needing a lot of attention), but the loneliness was driving her crazy.
And then we found Emmet! He's a cute eight months old little fellow, sort of sand colored with green eyes. He's still a bit shy and skittish, but the two of them went from chasing each other around the house (all night long, sheesh) to this:


- in just a week. Very impressive.
Suki's still a bit apprehensive and she's not always sure she likes him, but he's seeking her affection in many sweet ways, so she's doomed to melt soon enough. It's really quite amazing they're getting along so well so soon. We're still not used to it ourselves - we have two cats! Two! Bringing the score to of pets 5: humans 2.
And let's just hope they don't realize there's more of them than us, because if they did - the fridge will get empty rather quickly...

The (big) day that was

Wel... You know me well by now. When I say "tomorrow" what I really mean is "in two weeks or so". Sorry. Working in retail means that you really don't have a life. Sigh...
Anyway, back to our regular programming - The Big Day!

Friday, March 23rd:
8:00 AM
I slept very little and very badly, as was to be expected. I woke up quite stressed out and with the puffiest eyes ever. I had a hair and makeup appointment with mom in Santa Monica, so there wasn't even any time to feel sorry for myself. Which I was. A little.

10:00 AM
This is me, very happy about my dad taking a "before" photo (See how small that cup of tea is? Can you blame me for being grumpy?).


12:30 PM
So we got all pampered and primped, and the puffiness was deflated by some miracle eye cream I have to get my little paws on, and we were back home, to change and listen to Ben humming "It's the final countdown". Oy. On the way, my sister called to say congrats and I was very weepy. I wish you were there!

1:30 PM
The family starts trickling in! I don't remember in which order (sorry, I was in the kitchen making grub) - but mom, dad, Ant's parents with respective step parents and maid of honor Amanda. Many good photos are available here (yes, we have a Flickr group, set up by the best best man, Ben. This was a real 21st century wedding).

That's what we looked like, in the last hour and a half of our single lives:


2:30 PM
Off to the courthouse! It's a new courthouse, close to our apartment, kind of in the middle of nowhere. But it was a pretty day, we were on time and there was even time for (many) photos.


3:00 PM
I'm shaking in my 4" heels. The ceremony before us took a bit longer, but I was glad our reservation didn't disappear from the books by means of some cosmic "accident" and that we didn't forget some important something or another. Phew.
It was actually happening.

3:15-3:40 PM
When people think about courthouse weddings, they usually don't think of a warm, heartfelt, romantic ones. Ours was. The judge was a sweet lady that looked like the the witch(es) from "Spirited Away" (how appropriate, to wed two animation geeks), and she gave this beautiful speech about love and relationships and couplehood. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.


We were ten people in the chapel, and we had six cameras, hence the multitude of angles. If you flip through the photos really quickly, it's almost like a wedding video. The judge said we had a paparazzi wedding. Guess who forgot their own camera (eep!).


It was fantastic, we couldn't have asked for anything better.

4:30 PM
Back home, for some cookies and change of wardrobe, and we were off to Manhattan Beach for a extended family dinner. Hooray! It was delicious. No photos from the restaurant (surprising, isn't it?).

6:30 PM
Let the party begin! We gathered our newly acquired families and a group of close friends at the bar of Shade, a cool little hotel in Manhattan Beach (and appearantly a hip and happening south bay hangout spot). We had many drinks, lots more food, some more drinks, a wedding cake and some drinks to wash it all off. We had such a good time. I feels like I didn't get to hang out enough with everyone, but we were so glad everyone came! We had about twenty people, and it was perfect.

From left to right: Ben, Me, Ant and Kaz


Christine, our miracle hostess. She was incredible. Thank you Christina!

From left to right: Chandra, Me, Amanda and Austin

Ben giving the speech he's been practicing for a month and a half. It was great (Ben's a great guy, no wonder)

Here's the cake! I'll spare you the agony this cake caused me the night before, but miracle hostess Christine and wonder best man Ben fixed it.

Yum!


Saturday, March 24th:
1:00 AM
We actually have photos of us hanging out at home, eating Jack in the Box fries and opening presents and cards, but I'm not sharing. We were not really that drunk, just silly.

2:30 PM
Hangover food...

(Coldstone. Peanut-butter-and-chocolate something or another)

Notice the wedding ring? It really did happen!


The aftermath:
It was a shotgun wedding, planned in three weeks, with one week to prepare ourselves physically and mentally, but it was worth it 100%. It was a small, intimate wedding, with a chill, fun small party and everything worked out perfectly according to plan. We couldn't have asked for more or for anything else. Thank y'all for all the warm well wishes and sweet words - your good karma must have made it here.

A very short engagement

Hello there, my dear readers!
You have been so patient with me, waiting for three whole weeks for an update on the events leading to the day of March the 23rd (AKA - "our wedding day"). My dears, your waiting is now over! Behold - the insanity (and fun) that were, day by day - the week before.

Sunday, March 18th:
In the evening, Ben, Ant's best friend arrived from England to serve as our best man. He also managed to get us both very drunk. Luckily, he arrived late in the day, so that we managed to spend the morning with Ant's dad who arrived a couple of days earlier, while sober.
This is Ben. He's a fine chap. Very fine.


Monday, March 19th:
As I've mentioned before. I got a new job. I'm now a team member of the Whole Body department at the new Whole Foods Market opening in El Segundo (on Sepulveda and Rosecrans, April 26th, come visit!). We get lots of training. This was the first of the training sessions. We learned about tea. It would have been easier had I not been so hung over. One thing I learned - the caffein in tea is good for hangovers. And all tea has caffein. Good.

Tuesday, March 20th:
Clothes shopping. The dreaded day has arrived. I've been working my bootie off at the gym and avoiding the Pocky filled drawers, but of course three weeks of diet and training were not enough to get me looking the way I would have liked, but it wasn't too bad. My dear friend and maid of honor Amanda took charge of the day (which was good, because the motto of the entire wedding preparation was "oh, that would be a good idea!" Seriously, I didn't think about trivial things like having a wedding cake, getting hair and makeup done and other such simple things. Man, was I clueless...), and we headed off on our clothes hunt.
Anyway, we went to the Glendale Galleria to look for clothes. After nine (yep) hours, we ended up with a shirt and a skirt. Next time I tell you I'm going to look for a dress, please slap me hard on the face and remind me that I have more interesting things to do with eight hours (which is how long it took me to realize that I'm really not a dress girl. The ninth hour is when I quickly and easily found a shirt, a skirt, shoes and necklace. So simple when you're looking for the right thing). Seriously.
I came back to an empty house, as Ant and Ben took off for Ant's small and exclusive bachelor's party. I didn't ask any questions. Still won't.

Wednsday, March 21st:
Spa day! You'd think it would be the one day in all the crazy week I'll get to enjoy myself a little, relax and such - right? Wrong. Man, what a stressful day that was! They got my appointment wrong, so that my hour and a half appointment with relaxation turned into fourty minutes (a very good, don't get me wrong) facial and massage, and twenty minutes of the poor esthetician running around for me, looking for another esthetician who might be available and will not make me late for the manicure and pedicure I was due for later. I was. And the dear nail lady wasn't happy about it, and she didn't hasitate to show it. Good grief.
Then, we had about half an hour to get food, drop Ben off at the apartment, and go greet Ant's mom and my parents who landed at LAX one hour apart from each other.

Thursday, March 22nd:
One day to go! No one got much sleep at night. In the morning, I entertained my parents by taking them to lunch in Manhattan Beach. It was a beautiful day. We went down to the beach where it all started. That's my dad. Me? I'm very amusing when I'm tired. Ask anybody.


Then, we came back home just in time for me to bake cookies and get ready for my bachelorette party!
Maid of honor Amanda and great friend Crystal took me... to Disneyland! They booked reservations to the Blue Bayou, which I've been dying to go to since I've seen it on our anniversary trip to Disneyland. It was great. They even got me a pair of ears with a veil! What great friends. Much fun time has been had.



I finally got to go on the original Mary Blair "Small World" ride. Very exciting. We were not really meant to take pictures on the rides, but it was late and we didn't get caught (more photos here).



There were pretty presents for me when we got back home, and some minor cake drama (well, it looked like a lot of drama then, of course), and I ended up going to bed at 3:30 AM. It was my last night as a single girl and I didn't have a drop to drink, what did you expect? ; )

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode to hear about the actual big day! Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

One year ago today...

Amidst the wedding shenanigans, the new job (oh yeah, I got one) and the parents still being around - we almost - but didn't forget one very important day. Last year today, one very special feline came into this world.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, SUKI!



The birthday girl wishes to say that she thanks you all very much for your admiring well wishes, and that she has a registry at Catnips R Us. Practical girl.