I Have a Hang-Up

For the most part, I am not self-conscious about the way I look, despite how badly Facebook and its advertisers apparently wish that I were. No lie, I just opened the site, and today's warning is that my teeth need to be whiter than my wedding dress. Thanks guys.

However, I do have a slight hang-up about one physical aspect of myself that, curiously, Facebook has yet to threaten me about. I think I have really crappy posture, and I often have to remind myself to drag my slumping shoulders upright. I tend to think I look like these photos that earned Miley a bunch of criticism for her posture, although I also think I'm self-conscious enough that I'm probably overexaggerating it to myself:


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Like, am I wrong, or are these really slouchy? Miley-esque? I think they are? Or maybe I've gotten neurotic beyond all sense about this? I mean, it's entirely possible.


Me in the blue, FYI.


Seriously, he is a COMPULSIVE photo-ruiner.

I know where my tendency for poor posture comes from. Mom Octopus fights a constant battle against having huge, painful muscle knots build up in her shoulders, and passed that struggle along to my sister and I. I have been known to make a masseuse or two exclaim, "wow, you really weren't kidding about those knots!" When I went to get a massage from my mom's regular person, she pronounced me "just as crunchy" as my mom. The knots make it tiring and painful to keep my shoulders upright, so I react to it by slouching, which then allows my muscles to weaken, which makes me even more prone to knots........so you see the cycle. Incidentally, my mom, my sister, and I are all pretty well-endowed, BOSOMS-wise, and I suspect that doesn't help. They're HEAVY, yo!

I don't want to look all hunch-y in my wedding photos. I don't want to look slumpy on my wedding day, period. Or at all, any day, really. I want to stop checking my reflection when I walk by storefronts to see if I'm slouching as much as I think I am. I want to look tall and proud and strong! More importantly, I want to feel better; I really want my shoulders to stop aching. So, I'm definitely trying to find the best solutions to my shoulder/back issues. Over a number of years, I have discovered two things that help a great deal with the muscle knots, and therefore, the posture:

1.) Exercise. Ugh. Wish it weren't true, but it is. Any kind of exercise helps, but muscle toning or lifting workouts that focus on stretching and building strength in my shoulders and back especially.
2.) Having a chiropractor do muscle work (sort of similar to sports massage). I saw a chiropractor in Las Vegas for two years who I will swear up and down was a miracle worker. The knots virtually disappeared in her care. However, the progress made in muscle treatments doesn't last forever if you stop, and a year in Boston without treatment (a year which included hunching over to take notes and write lengthy papers, and hauling around a super-heavy school bag) has brought me pretty far back in terms of my muscles' health.

I'm actively working on the exercise, and as soon as I get a job (which I'm hoping and praying will be this week, keep your fingers crossed for me) I'm taking my health benefits and RUNNING to the highly-rated chiropractor up the street. However, I'm open to any and all tips on eliminating the muscle knots, or straightening my posture up, or both.

Does anyone else struggle with shoulder and back strength, or muscle knots, or slouching? What do you do for it? Also, does your Facebook call you fat all the time? Seriously, what is that ABOUT? I actually AM going to fit into my wedding dress, and I'm going to look awesome in it. Shut up, Facebook.

Something Borrowed from Someone Fabulous

The "something borrowed" part of my wedding ensemble has been figured out, and you can see it in action on the person I'm borrowing it from in all these pictures. Can you catch on to what it is? (All wedding photos in this post are courtesy of Michelle Lindsay Photography, by the by.)









It's the hair fascinator belonging to my beautiful, beautiful, beautiful bridesmaid, Erica!

She bought it from Etsy seller PowderBlueBijoux and rocked it in her April wedding, and here's what it looks like up close:


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The petals are made of feathers, and then it's got netting, crystals, and more fluffy little accent feathers. Do you guys remember the old Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers cartoon? Well, I basically pulled a Monterey Jack when I laid eyes on this thing.


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She very happily agreed to lend it to me, and I was thrilled to have the third of my four "somethings" taken care of (new: basically my entire wedding outfit, blue: engagement ring, borrowed: gorgeous hair flower, old: still no idea). While I'm going to wear a gigantic cathedral-length veil for the ceremony and some portraits, I'll swap it out for the flower in the pre-ceremony pictures and the reception.

Also, in the words of Michael Scott, "I'm not superstitious. But I'm a little stitious." So, I'll admit that I do have a small belief that the fascinator will be lucky. Why? First of all, because I'm borrowing it from one of my oldest, best, and most beloved friends. Erica and I met on one of the very first days of our freshman year of college (we lived across the hall from each other!) and have been like peanut butter & jelly ever since. We shared an apartment together in our sophomore year, studied abroad together our junior year, and moved to the same new neighborhood our senior year. We haven't lived in the same city in the four years since we graduated, and although I miss her and wish I could see her more often, our friendship hasn't suffered at all. So, I think borrowing something from someone who has been so close to me for so long is a good omen.

Second, I think the fascinator might be a little lucky because Erica's wedding day (whole wedding weekend, actually) was absolutely flawless. Not even a tiny hiccup. She was utterly unstressed, there was no drama, the weather cooperated, everything happened exactly as scheduled, the look of the whole event was absolutely perfectly gorgeous, and it was one of the most fun parties I've ever attended. Take a look!

It was beautiful (and beautifully photographed)....









It was emotional.....





And it was an unbelievably great time.




Ya like how hard I'm rocking out in this photo? I was drinking champagne out of a Solo cup and "Party in the USA" came on in the bridal party bus. I couldn't stop myself.



So, yeah, here's hoping that the fascinator spreads a little of that amazing wedding-day juju over to me. (Oh, and do you want some of it too? You like Erica's dress? It's a Monique Lhuillier, and it's for sale. PM if you want her contact info.)

Have you figured out your "somethings" yet? Do any of them have particular sentimental value?

Minimoonin'

Back in the day when our wedding planning still mostly consisted of elaborate fantasizing, Mr. O and I had BIG plans for our honeymoon. He and I both love to travel, and we saw the post-wedding vacation as a chance to get crazy-extravagant and take the trip of a lifetime. We talked a big game about touring Asia (specifically Japan and Thailand), hiking to Machu Picchu, or eating our way through France and Italy. Sigh. Swoon.

At this point, though, our plans have been revised significantly. Reasons?

1.) Financially, we are tapped out. The money for a lavish (or even a modest!) international trip simply does not exist at this point.
2.) I suspect (and many of my recently-married friends have confirmed) that we will mostly want to veg out and unwind after the wedding, and if we were to travel abroad, vegging out would not be on the agenda.
3.) But mostly the money thing.

We really didn't want to completely forgo a honeymoon, though. I feel like it would be so jarring to jump immediately back into working without any time at all to rest, relax, and be mellow after the huge fuss of the wedding. So, we decided to take a minimoon!

Here were our minimoon criteria:
* Fairly short (four-ish days)
* Modestly priced (under $2,000, and substantially under that if at all possible)
* Non-beach (am I the only person who has very little love for beach vacations? Also, our wedding is in late September, and ain't no beach in New England I want to lay on in late September)
* No flight required (precious money and time!)

Based on all that, we've got an agenda that I'm really excited about! First, we're going to spend an extra day in Pittsburgh hanging out with our families. The original plan was to leave the day after the wedding, but I got schooled at Bridesmaid Erica's April wedding. That weekend, we spent an extra day lounging, snacking, and napping, and it was deeeeeee-lightful. I'm actually really looking forward to having that extra, low-key day with my people.

Then, once we return to Boston, we're turning right back around for our little Northeast minimoon road trip through Vermont and Montreal! Vermont was my family's go-to vacation destination when I was little, and I really, really, really love it. Mr. O hasn't really been there, but he's trusting me on this one, and I think the scenery of touring Vermont in late September/early October will not disappoint him (to say the least!). Neither of us have been to Montreal, but we have heard many, many great things; it's been on my "To Visit" list for years.


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First, we're driving to Bennington, Vermont, and staying in The Four Chimneys Inn.


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This is our room. The bathroom has a floor-to-ceiling marble shower with two showerheads. Don't mind if I do. (Source.)


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Incidentally, Lonely Planet indicates that there is a really nice spa in Bennington. YES PLEASE!

After Bennington, we're heading up to Burlington, VT, and staying in Lang House.


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Sorry for the crap-ola picture, it was the best I could find! Distract yourselves by looking at that Jacuzzi tub in the back. (Source.)

Finally, we're crossing the border into Montreal and staying in Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy.


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Surprisingly for me, I have resisted the urge to plan every last daily detail of this trip. We have a few definite activities on the agenda (Magic Hat brewery tour, here we come!), but I'm trying to get into the honeymoon spirit by keeping it very low-key and laid-back. Mostly, the plan is to eat a lot of good food, drink a lot of beer and wine, roam around a little, and see what happens.

Here are the stats on our minimoon: it's going to be five days long (that last day will mostly consist of driving back from Montreal), and I am expecting that it will cost about $1500, including hotels, gas, food, and activities. That's including the fact that we specifically chose fairly upscale/pricey lodging and will be going out of our way to have more than one special/elegant dinner. Not bad!

Also, just as a little aside, here's a vacation tip I swear by: always try to stay in independently-owned bed and breakfasts when you can. The rooms are usually comparably priced and of equal quality (although, style-wise, often quite a bit more old-fashioned) to other nice hotels in town, but typically include a giant, delicious breakfast, books and DVDs you can bring to your room for free, Jacuzzi tubs, and some kind of snack and adult beverage in the afternoon. Can't beat it. I booked all the b-and-bs on our trip specifically because they include all the amenities I mentioned. Hello, daily multi-course breakfasts. Can't wait to meet you in person.

I do have to admit that it took me a little time to let go of the fantabulous, decadent vacation I was dreaming of, but I'm fully on board now. After all, the point of a honeymoon is to spend quality time with your new spouse, right? That's exactly what we'll be doing, in a beautiful setting, with ample opportunities to relax, unwind, eat tons of tasty food, and enjoy each other's company. It will be calm and lovely. I also sorta love that we're taking a honeymoon road trip; he and I have taken more road trips together than I can even count over the years, so it's kind of fitting that we're doing it again for our post-wedding vacation.

Is anyone else taking a minimoon? Or, does anyone have any recommendations for Bennington, Burlington, or Montreal??

An Octopus's Garden......Party

Way, way back in the blogging day, I mentioned that my very first idea for the theme and style of our wedding was a pink-and-green garden party. When the botanical garden venue I loved turned out to be way too expensive, that idea quickly went out the window, and I moved on to new plans.

But MOH/Sister Lauren and Bridesmaid Cousin/Katie remembered my first love, and over the weekend, they threw me.....







a pink-and-green, garden party bridal shower!

Can you believe it?? I was so surprised and touched at how they took the idea and ran with it!



I didn't take any pictures of the food because I was too busy eating it, but it was delicious and plentiful. We had a fruit platter, cute little tea sandwiches, a few different types of salads, and lots of other snack-type things. In another sweet gesture, Mom Octopus brought up bottles of delicious riesling from my beloved homeland, the Finger Lakes wine country (holla, Miss Locket!), and Bridesmaid/Cousin Katie whipped up a slammin' batch of sangria (seriously, it was ridic, PM me if you want the recipe).

Check out the cuteness we had for dessert:



Thematically-appropriate cupcakes, mini-pastries, and oh yeah, those would be hollowed-out strawberries filled with cheesecake filling and drizzled with hot fudge. Not telling you how many I ate.

After we ate, we played Jeopardy!


Check out that board, lovingly crafted by MOH/Sister Lauren.

Now, if you recall, this shower took place in my mom's hometown, and the invitees consisted of my mom's sisters, my cousins, and a few of my mom's old friends. My mom's family is a rowdy bunch, and our game of bridal shower Jeopardy quickly turned into quite a ruckus.



They were competing for this bouquet of glass flowers, also brought up from my hometown by Mom Octopus, and they were bloodthirsty.



The game included quite a bit of screaming, swearing, and mildly inappropriate answer-giving.


Question: What is Mr. Octopus's favorite reading material?
Aunt Cathy: Ooh! Ooh! Porn!
Cousin Cailin: Aunt Cathy, that's not reading material. What's it going to say? Once upon a time, a lady came to the door.....
Eventual correct answer, from Aunt Margie: Comic books.




Cousin Meghan, stumped by a question about the bridal party.


Made up for it by screaming random guesses louder than anyone else, though.

I also laughed wildly at the answers to the 100-point question under The Bride category: "What is Miss Octopus's favorite activity?" My family shrieked out in unison, "READING!!!" But they were wrong! Aunt Ellen came up with the right response after a few tries. What is, 'laying on the couch', Lauren Trebek?


Don't count my elderly grandmother out of the game. Look how enthusiastically she's raising her hand (and, although you can't hear her, YELLING), despite not knowing ANY of the answers! What a competitor.

Then, I opened the extremely generous gifts my family had brought. Not pictured here: one of the gifts brought my extraordinarily sassy and irreverent grandmother. I will give you a hint. The box was covered in notes written in her crazy chicken-scratch handwriting: BEWARE! Too hot to handle! This is what I wore on my HOT night! (?!?!). Inside was something very lacy, silky, see-through, and red, and because that wasn't embarrassing enough, two strategically-placed oranges. And, as she gleefully informed the entire party, no pants! I still cannot believe she actually had the stones to enter Frederick's of Hollywood, by her eighty-two-year-old self, and purchase it. On the other hand, I don't know why I allow anything she does, ever, to surprise me, so there you go.


I am now the proud owner of a gravy boat!


A surprise from Aunt Ellen: a Pampered Chef pitcher with a stirrer so your juice doesn't separate!


"EEeeee! I hope there's a down comforter in here....!" (There was.)


BM/Cousin Katie begins to construct a ribbon bouquet....


....while MOH/Sister Lauren keeps a detailed gift record.

At the end of the party, MOH/Sister Lauren and BM/Cousin Katie handed out the favors, which were another incredibly cute and thoughtful little touch: chocolate buttercream truffles from my very favorite chocolate shop evaahhh (Burdick's in Harvard Square, aka PARADISE). But not only were they delicious.....



....they were shaped like BEES, in a little reference to my current status as a blogger for this very website!



LITTLE ALMOND WINGS! I could have died.

Also, I want to mention that I must be on some kind of psychic wavelength with MOH/Sister Lauren and BM/Cousin Katie, because I didn't know a single thing about the party plans, yet chose these pink-and-green, garden-themed necklaces for them as shower hostess gifts...





as well as mouse-shaped truffles from Burdick's (the same place they bought the bee-shaped favors). In fact, Katie (who also lives in Boston) picked up the chocolate bees all of fifteen minutes after I went in to buy the chocolate mice. Wouldn't that have been an odd run-in to try to explain to each other?

It was an incredibly beautiful party and a really fun afternoon, and I felt so totally grateful and flattered by how carefully they thought about and planned each little detail to be something that I would notice and enjoy. On top of that, my Aunt Cathy and Uncle George (BM/Cousin Katie's parents, whose backyard was the party site) worked their tails off prepping their yard to host us all, and Aunt Cathy and Katie made virtually all of the food themselves, from scratch. A lot of hard work and planning went into making this shower come together, and I am so, so lucky to be part of a family who loves me so obviously and so much.


The bride and mother-of.



Did you have any special or personal details included in your bridal shower?