got memories

i had started a memory box for my grandpa soon after he died in 2002. i stuck a few old photos here and there and told myself i'd revisit it later. when brian came to visit last week he saw it and thought it was a great idea. i looked at it again, pretty pathetic. i decided to jazz it up this week and in doing so asked aaron if he'd like one for his mom. of course he said yes. so here are my first attempts at scrapbooking or scrapboxing. for donna's i used buttons and ribbon from her sewing room. for my grandpa's i used old hardware from an old jewelry box my grandma kept that my dad made for her. it's all in the family!

it's like, you know!

a little late but better than never

1. exercise (after we get back from d.c. i'm hitting the gym full force)

2. strike the word "like" and "you know" from my verbal vocabulary (i use it, like, way too much, at least according to my husband. last week i was hanging out with jamie and simon copied something i said. i knew something had to be done.)

3. fix my bad, bad sleeping habits.

4. get pregnant (ha, i thought this would be easy, but it's a little more difficult than i predicted. 28, 26, 31...stupid, irregular numbers)

return of camel toe

i think the photo says it all!

online craziness

www.photoboothstl.com/events

westphal wedding 1/20/07

password: wed20

i noticed not a single one of aaron's aunts or uncles on the westphal side utilized the booth and all of my family abused it. a testament to the origins of our personalities?

whirlwind weekend

yes, it's finally over. yesterday i put brian and irina on a plane back to maryland and today i'm cleaning up the mess left after the whirlwind weekend. i must say, i was very happy with the outcome of the reception. the only thing i probably won't do again is have a plated dinner. it sucks to have payed for meals that weren't eaten. it just seemed so wasteful, but there's always circumstances beyond anyones control.

the photobooth was probably the best idea we had. that and the open bar. i took my copies over to jamie's yesterday and forgot them, otherwise i'd scan them for your viewing pleasure. i just wrote the photobooth guy and asked when the photos would be posted online. i should be getting an answer shortly and i'll let you know when i do. i'll also post the link for everyone when i get it. i can't wait to see the debauchery that occured and am glad it was documented for prosperity.

thanks to everyone who attended. we had a blast and loved having you there! i'm trying to convince aaron we should do it again, maybe for cinco de mayo or veterans day. we don't need no stinking special occassion to rock out, just you!

to the point!

ever gotten an email without a single exclamation mark? especially one that's four to five paragraphs long explaining how excited they are about a certain situation? i don't know why this is bugging me but it is. so much so, that i've brought it up countless times in conversation. (who doesn't use an exclamation point when describing a lottery win?) i know i'm overreacting, reading too much into nothing. (maybe they're not as happy as i thought.) it's just funny the little things i notice.

on the other hand, i probably overuse the sucker and people think i'm ecstatic about everything. i guess it's a give and take relationship. i'll use it excessively and you won't use it at all.

prozac nation

aaron's gone this weekend. in sunny orlando learning the intricacies of cosmetic surgery/procedures. so i've been flying solo this weekend. he's on his way home now, from 75 degrees to 30 degrees. needless to say, i don't feel sorry for him! ;)

friday i hung out with jamie and we watched a little tv. i feel like i'm corroding her mind with the shows i watch. we ended up watching two episodes of what not to wear. i keep telling myself it's somewhat educational, but who am i kidding.

saturday i went over to katie and adrian's and we had a little dinner and watched an episode of the office. we also played a little trivial pursuit. i ended up borrowing 3 movies. prozac nation and darkness. both movies were so-so. nothing really to write about. i did watch donnie darko again, it definitely needed a second viewing. it made much more sense the second time around.

this week i've got to start and finish reception prep. labeling favors, creating placecard settings and guestbook pages. i've been putting it off. i've also got to clean up the guest room so brian and irina have a place to crash when they're here next weekend. i'm excited about the reception, but at the same time i hate being the center of attention. it's a love hate relationship.

quote of the day

"I turned down Harvard to go to University of Illinois just because I'm that cool. And because that's where a lot of my friends are going."

—danny westphal

boney bum

once in a while i help jamie out with the simon and hayden. this week they had to get their second round of the flu shot so she asked if i'd tag along and offer assistance. apparently the receptionists aren't too friendly if you're the least bit late. last time we were 5 minutes late and we were not received well, this time we pulled into the parking garage on time. little simon, as cute as he is, is perhaps the slowest kid i know. (i'm sure all kids are slow but most are on wheels a.k.a. strollers.)

i scoop him up and start crossing the breezeway at a faster pace with him on my hip.

"can you put me higher? it doesn't feel good," he says.

"what? am i too boney?" i ask.

"yeah, you're too boney."

i swing him around to my back.

"still too boney," he says.

i guess i need to put a little more junk in the trunk. at least according to a 3-year-old.

the stealth of meter maids

i had a meeting with the wow lady today in st. louis. i get there and park right beside the building so i can see my automobile from the office. i feed the meter 30 cents for 24 minutes of parking time. last time i was there, i was pretty much in and out. so i'm thinking this should be more than enough. nadia's running behind. she offers me a drink while i wait. 10 minutes pass.

"should i feed the meter?" i ask.

"yeah, probably a good idea." she tells me.

since i can see my car, i chance it. if i see a meter maid coming i'll run out and drop some coin. another 5 minutes and i have her undivided attention. we go over details with me occasionally looking over my shoulder. nothing in sight. get done in 15 minutes and i'm out the door.

as nadia lets me out. (they lock the doors after they let you in or out of the building. another reason why i didn't want to run out there.) two meter maids walk by. did i luck out? i get to my car and i don't see anything under my washer blade. sweet. they must have been metering the main street and not the side streets. i pull out and take off down the street. as soon as i pick up speed, i notice something flapping in the far right corner. damn it!

moral: 5 cents could have saved me $10. and the meter maids of st. louis operate on the sly.

photobooth madness

aaron and i rented a photobooth for the reception and we have the option of choosing one of the following layouts.

we can choose black and white or color, and one, three, or four poses. the one and three pose options leave you with space to customize.

One pose option:

Three pose option:

Four pose option:

i'm partial to the black and white three pose combo. now we have to decide if we want the date of our reception or the date of the actual wedding. decisions, decisions.

never surprised...

...okay, maybe once in a while.

i can't remember how the discussion came about. i brought up the 911 call and how, in my opinion, it's a legitimate phone call. basically i was telling him how any thing you can think of, there's someone out there crazy enough to be doing it.

"look at the dance floor, i bet there's someone out there with some freaky secret going on underneath those fancy clothes. maybe the nipples cut out of their tanktop or a guy wearing a leapord thong."

"next time we go camping i'm going to cut out my nipples and take off my shirt and act like nothings weird," he tells me.

"that would be hilarious, and i'll act like it's totally normal too!"

3 hours go by.

i look back and this is what i see...




what the hell.

did i put my foot in my mouth and mark's really a freak in levis?!? nope, he just wanted to freak me out sooner than later.

keeping mom happy

every time we head east my mother insists we take a family photo. this year was no different. i've already gotten two comments on it. one my brother resembles an asian jimmy fallon and two aaron looks very powder-like. the only complaint i have, for some reason they didn't center the photos. along with the group photos we took individual photos and they cut off someones foot in each of the photos.

we're back home and have a jam packed month ahead of us.