some decoration ideas

here are some ideas i've found for wedding favors, cake, centerpieces. the flowers will be on each table with a candle and handwritten note stating our names, date of wedding. plus engraved wine glasses with the same. a smaller version of the cake because i want to make a variety of desserts and use the cake mostly as decoration. anyway, here goes...

a picture of the couple...woo hoo!

i thought that i better add a picture of the two of us. i always like knowing what the faces and home settings are like of the people i talk/blog to. so here we are from a recent trip we took to chicago, boston & nyc. that's lake michigan behind us!
oh, i should also mention that since we're getting married close to the fourth of july, or the day rex "loses his independence" as he so jokingly says, hahaha! our color theme will be red, white, and blue. i am counting on all of you who read this blog to help me come up with ideas for decorating the hall. not too countryish, just with those colors incorporated into the decorations. i will be posting pics of some things i've found online for party favors, centerpieces, etc. again, i need you guys to be honest and really tell me what you think and how i can change/improve the ideas i have! i'll catch up with more details later this weekend. until then...hugs!

a difficult evening

i decided last week when we set the date of the wedding to order some "save the date" announcements. to stick with the independence day theme, i ordered some cards with the red, white, blue colors with the statement..."the sparks will fly on the 7th of july, 2007" and the date and time mentioned. they turned out really cute, the only hitch is that i have to wait until around december to mail them. damn!
on a more serious note, one of my good friends who also happens to be one of my bosses, was dx'd with pancreatic ca with liver mets 4 weeks ago. as a former oncology nurse i know the reality of this dx. the median survival rate is 3 -6 mos....which is mostly an optimistic number. this disease is so pervasive and is typically dx'd at such a late stage. there is no screening test (even with a familial hx) hence the reality of death happening so quickly. pancreatic cancer typically doesn't respond to chemo or radiation. there is a new drug Gemcytibine that can help slow the disease progression. anyway, we went and visited tom tonight and took him a save the date card. it was so bittersweet...i pray he will be still here next july, but the odds are not in his favor. his face lit up when he saw the card and he asked if he could have the first dance with me. it was hard not to cry....i hugged and kissed him and said of course i would save the first dance for him. i hate fucking cancer....and i wish sometimes that i was totally ignorant of how this disease progresses and the dismal results most folks receive from surgery/chemo. i know, i know...it's really better odds and stats than what i'm projecting now, but i'm just so pissed about how the people i love seem to die rather than survive!!! sorry to be such a downer, but tonight was really tough to handle, no matter how many times i go thru it! and actually i shouldn't use "i"because the reality of it is, it's much tougher on families and the sick person. well, as the saying goes, tomorrow is another day and with it brings the promise of healing and health!

an introduction

well, a new experience for me! i have decided to start a blog to capture my thoughts, feelings, hopes, and ideas for my upcoming (well not too upcoming!!!) wedding. i love odd numbers, always have, always will & don't know why...but nonetheless i prefer "oddness"! we have chosen 7/7/07 for our wedding date and i will attempt to document this year long process of planning a second marriage at the age of almost 53!
i was married for the first time when i was 19. that marriage lasted almost 23 years. we were married in 1976 in my future in-laws backyard. my mom who is my best friend lived 400 miles away and worked full-time, so she really couldn't participate in the wedding plans. i was so damn young and my future mother-in-law ran with the planning. i did get to choose my wedding dress, but that was about it! don't get me wrong, i appreciated the help, both financial and emotional 'cause we were broke students, but i do wish i had been able to have some input into the planning.
anyway, this weekend when my mom came over for her weekly sunday dinner we told her we had chosen a date. mind you, we've been living together for almost 6 years...my 80 y/o mom was hysterically funny...she asked us if we really wanted to get married since we are so happy now and she felt that having a "contract" would spoil our wonderful relationship. we assured her that all would be well and that getting married was just a legal formality to confirm our love for one another and also to finish drafting our living trust. plus we felt ready to have a great kickass party for our family and friends and include a wedding somewhere in the mix...LOL!
long story short for tonight 'cause i'm pooped and need to hit the sack....mom and i went this past sunday before dinner to look at the wedding site....http://www.scparks (check out the valencia hall facility). it's a really quaint meeting hall set in the majestic redwoods with a little stream running past it. i love it...i knew the minute i saw the hall online i had to have our wedding there. i showed up at 9 am the next day when park & rec opened and hurrah! the facility was available. so, i paid the fees and now we have our wedding location! .....to be continued soon