If...

If one was waiting for a baby, it would come 9 months from today, however if you are me, in 9 months from today, I will be getting married!

Goodatt

So I guess this means we are combining our names once we are married =) Below is proof: Chris referred to our house as 'Casa-de-Goodatt!

Photographer

So a co-worker of Chris's does photography. His name is Max and he might be up for doing our engagement photos that are way over due....oppps! Here is his work: http://razzi.me/maxsmell

It's Official - Oreos, Forks and Bob

Robert Burgess of Abingdon, Illinois will be marrying us in Galena...that means we need to server oreos on forks. Here is Chris practicing even though he denies that he uses Bob's great invention...


Once you try it...you'll never go back

Packages

Last night I came home to a package that I thought I accidently shipped home instead of to school so I carried it to school today only to open it and realize it was the order I placed for wedding stuff. Today I got home to yet another package, which I had no idea what it was and thought maybe it was a gift from a distant relative. Opened it up to find my Suckers that I have patiently been waiting for, for oh so long!

And...everything was spelled correctly - go me!

Orders

After saving up several Oriental Trading coupons, I was able, with the help of Cyndi, to place a nice order of various things for the wedding, including the suckers that are never in stock!

Black and White Tile

We found it! After trying to creatively think of how to have black and white tile at our wedding for our photos, we happened to come across this wonderful stuff while shopping for cage interior!

Ikea Boxes

While cleaning out the painting cabinet in my classroom, I totally came across some packages of mini black wrapped presents boxes with white ribbon that I bought from Ikea a few years back. I just thought they were cute and could have a use for them some day; well that day has come and they will make a cute little directions to the wedding.

I want these

To go along with our theme...

http://www.wanelo.com/home-andoffice/To+the+Letter+Coaster+
Set+%7C+Mod+Retro+Vintage+Decor+Accessories+%7C+ModCloth.com-238677.html

Thanks Moto

Today Christopher and I came home to find shreds of black baskets and broken glass; yep, Moto got into our wedding box and had herself some fun. Sniffle sniffle...

Rooms are booked

Today I signed and faxed in the room block confirmations; we have 15 King rooms and 10 Double rooms, in addition to our Suite. Each guest room is $135 + tax a night and we have them on hold for both Friday and Saturday night. Individuals can book their room at https://www.myfidelio.net/webui/AvailabilitySearch.aspx?chain=STCR&property=USGAL and say they are with the Matt/Goodwin Wedding to get our pricing. The picture of is of their unique lobby!

Bob?

Who would have imagined that Chris has a friend who can do our ceremony? Yep Bob Burgess has semi confirmed he can legally marry us in Galena. We happened to be chatting about our big day over breakfast and  he said he had his license, we thought he was joking but no. Again, this will be our special wedding with so many unexpected things...

3 years ago...

‎3 years ago on this date, September 12th 2009, Chris Goodwin and I met for dinner at the Village Tavern, eat some ice cream at Culvers and eventually played a never ending game of Scrabble. Now a year from this date, September 12th 2012, we will be getting married...

Chair Covers

So I know I said I didn't want all the formal stuff of a wedding however while Googling images of the various rooms offered at the Stoney Creek Inn, I came across a place that rented chair covers to them; $2.50 a cover with a free slash. Needless to say, I emailed them to see what the actual quite would be. Below is a picture of the Stoney Creek Inn chairs with their rental covers; I would do Black with a white slash of course.

Room Offerings

After looking over the Room Block contract from Stoney Creek Inn, I emailed Dena with some questions. In addition to that, I created a one page visual document with examples of all the room offering styles and pricing since they do have a variety of options. Once Dena gets back to me, I will send her my document to make sure all the descriptions and images are correct so that I can start sending it out to guests to get an estimate on what they would like.

Blocks of Rooms

So I emailed Dena at Stoney Creek Inn to start setting up the blocks of rooms since I have not done that yet. The prices for this year, though they will most likely raise a little bit for next year, are as follows:

Standard  King/Standard Double bedded rooms run $135+tax per night.
King Suites with Whirlpool/Fireplaces and the rate would be $207+tax.
AAA & AARP can be applied at check in also.

The room in the picture is what Chris and I like, which is a Suite...

Cute Marriage/Wedding Items

While browsing through Wanelo, I came across some neat stuff, like usual, however today I happened to stumble upon several marriage/wedding themed things - see below...

Mr. & Mrs.

Since Chris and I will not be considered Mr. & Mrs. Goodwin, I think this is what we should go by instead =)

Time to get to Work

Today was the day where I decided to take some time out to work on wedding things. First I worked on actually making our Scrabble theme a reality as well as the etched glasses. As you can see below, Moto enjoyed helping me. 

Bridezilla

So I happened to see Bridezilla on the TV guide; I turned it on and Chris and I are laughing. These woman are crazy, like one was complaining and attempting to return her veil that she got from the flea market saying it wasn't good quality. My thoughts: You bought it from a flea market - end of story. Then later she was whinning because her bridesmaids were not available to be with her while she runs errands for the wedding claiming she shouldn't have to do this by herself; psycho...
Read more about this evil woman: http://www.wetv.com/bridezillas/blogs/we-tells-all-bridezillas-gloria-and-tricia

Oriental Trading

Just made a $50.00 order worth of unique wedding 'stuff' on Oriental Trading; I did it because I got free shipping and was able to use $20.00 worth of gift cards that expired today. Needless to say, I bought everything from "Father Of The Bride" Socks to make my dad laugh to a personalized “Just Married” car magnet with our names and date on it - Exciting!

Out of Stock

ARGH! I went to check on the Swirl Pops from Oriental Trading Compnay because my two $10.00 gift cards expire mid August and guess what I find out; the pops are now 'Out of Stock'! Just my luck...hopefully then come in before next year!

Scrabble

On the drive down to Galesburg yesterday, I began working on the paper and pencil version of our Scrabble themed invites. Tonight I decided it would be way easier to do it in Excel so I started drafting up our theme and some other words that relate to our lives together. Here is what I have so far; there are some more words, like Irish Hollow, the Hush Sound, etc., however I have no found a great spot for them yet.

Dress Stop #1

First off, Laura was right, you need to have an appointment at House of Brides. So after my story about my friend 'Amber Schalla' seeing a dress there that she thought I would like didn't fly since neither my name nor Amber's name was in their computer, they made me register and be assigned a dress lady, an old hag named Phyllis, as you apparently cannot look at dresses by yourself. Right off the bat, Phyllis was not on board with my idea of a short white dress despite the fact that I pointed out what I wanted the moment we walked onto the floor; 'See that purple Bridesmaid dress? I want that but in white.' 

First she dragged me through the 'destination' dresses, which were long and not what I wanted; I want no lace, no beads, no flowers, nothing! After debating, she then took me to the 'special occasion' section thinking that the woman there would be better off helping me; really I think she just didn't want my 'cheaper' sale since I didn't want a huge dress. The moment Phyllis left me with the new woman, the new woman turned and said 'I have no idea why she brought you here, you should be looking at bridesmaids dresses with her.' Needless to say, I was brought back to Phyllis. Phyllis proceed to show me hideous clearance dresses, again which were lacy and flower driven. Eventually we got to the bridesmaid section where I, as well as her unfortunately, picked out several dresses for me to try on. Please don't even ask how many lacy ones she picked out; I swear she was trying to get me off her hands. 

Regardless, I was shoved into a small box closet like dressing room, with no mirrors, to try a handful of dresses on. How they managed to fit a chair in the room, I had no idea but I did manage to hit my knee on it several times. As for trying on dresses, I definitely did not dress or plan for the event so I had to basically be bra-less for the whole thing, which was awkward in itself, especially when one of the dresses' zippers got stuck and Phyllis was no where close to be found so I had be be unzipped in the middle of the store without a bra...awesome. Anyways, I did find a few I liked and though you were instructed to not take pictures, I snuck a few, thank goodness because none of them are online despite the fact that Phyllis said they were and gave me numbers to view and share them. 

So below are the ones I liked; trust me they all look better on, even though some I was swimming in and others I couldn't even begin to zip, despite the fact that they were all supposed to be the same size. The first blue one I thought I would not like but ended up liking it the most. The second one, the red one, is nice fitting but not sure about the bow on the shoulder. The third one, is cute, simple and form fitting. The fourth one, well it has pockets and that is why I loved it. The fifth and final one, well I just thought it looked fun on and matched my theme; I wouldn't wear it for the actual 'reception' but maybe for the night before. All in all, I will have to go back but it was what it was; an awful first experience! 

 

Dress Stop #2

Later I went back to the Woodfield store, MDM Special Occasions, to see if I could take a picture of the dress I saw with Joni the month before, however while there, I saw one that I much preferred over the original one. I did not try this one on either though so who knows what it really looks like.

Black and White

Knowing that we have to either pay for plating or bring our own since Stoney Creek does not 'house' enough for 65 people, I started looking at prices and it looks like Dollar Tree is going to be my best bet: http://www.dollartree.com/party-supplies/Solid-Colors-Seasonal/Solid-Colors-Seasonal/Midnight-Black-Party-Supplies/207c343c343e28/index.ens

Durty Gurts

Galena has a fun Burger Joint, or as they call it, a Burger Joynt, called Durty Gurts where you can order a Woo Wop the Bam Burger which is four patties; i.e. 2 lbs of meat, and when you order it, you get a free t-shirt with it, as it costs $24.00! Here is a link of a guy attempting it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OddAwgTuCl4

Needless to say, Chris did not go for this option, but he did go for it's younger brother, the Hulk which is 3 patties at 1.5 lbs. Since Chris did finish the hulk, we are going to offer guest who meet us early for our Celebration, the challenge of devouring the Woo Wop the Bam Burger, and if they do, we will pick up their tab! Who is up for the challenge on Friday Night?!?!?!

And the place is...Stoney Creek Inn

We booked it! September 15th 2012 - Stoney Creek Inn! The conference room can hold only 65 people; 8 round tables however we will make it work. Plan on tons of food and goofiness! 

Photographer Visit

Attempting to kill 2 birds with one stone while visiting Galena this weekend; booked a visit with Luminous Life Portraits as I posted before that I like her style: http://www.luminousportraits.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/luminouslife?ref=ts

Flooding in Galena

Well not too sure if our trip to Galena is going to happen this weekend: Galena/JO Davies County Saturated - Officials agree, it's the worst flood in years; many roads closed; Jo-Carroll Energy working to restore power
http://galenagazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=142&SubSectionID=344&ArticleID=16614

Reception Visit?

I just got a voice mail from Dena at the Stoney Creek Inn, the place we want to have our reception, saying that next weekend, July 29th, which is when we had temporarily scheduled our visit for, they are hosting a wedding so it would coincide nicely as we would get to see how they set up for such an event. Let's cross our fingers that it works out as we know my luck this summer hasn't not been the greatest.

No Skydiving, No Galena

At first we were planning to go to Galena this upcoming weekend; it was our first open weekend all summer in which all things worked out in our favor allowing us to go. Then we got the tickets for skydiving so we thought otherwise. Just a few minutes ago, we find out that we cannot go Skydiving so I called the venue we want to set up a tour this weekend, and our 'planner' that we've been working with, won't be around this weekend. Grr...something is telling us just to say home!

Dress Avatars

Doll Divine is a website I use with my students to make digital animals however they also have a wedding dress 'game' as they like to call it. I played with it back in May but since I was bored and didn't want to head to bed just yet, I played a little more tonight. Here are my two designs I like

Here is the website if you want to play yourself: http://dolldivine.com/glamorous-wedding.php

Lady Gaga = Saving Money

Leave it to me to find an article like this...

"Joey, my fiancée, and I weren’t officially engaged until September 2010, but we knew early on in our relationship that we were headed towards marriage. We also knew that paying for a wedding would be one of the most annoying financial undertakings of our lives. Then in July 2009, a Lady Gaga song came on the radio and changed everything. No, seriously. I was incredibly sick of the song, so I changed the station… right to another Lady Gaga song. I changed the station again… to yet ANOTHER Lady Gaga song. I sent a text to Joey: Geez. 3 Gaga songs on at a time. We should put a dollar in a jar every time we hear one. And so started our so-called Wedding Jar."

Read more at: http://offbeatbride.com/2011/03/fun-way-to-save-money-for-your-wedding

Moto as 'Best Pet' ?!?!?

Since we are not having Bridesmaids or Groomsman, should Moto be the 'Best Pet' instead of the 'Best Man'?

http://www.orientaltrading.com/personalized-best-pet-bow-a2-47_1117.fltr?prodCatId=90000&tabId=6

Dresses

I went into my first 'Wedding' Dress store today while at Woodfield with Joni. The store was MDM Special Occasions. I saw a cute short one that went over the shoulder however it had rhinestones on the over the shoulder part which I did not care for. I was not in the mood to try things on and since my camera is broken, I couldn't take a picture of it. I really need to see even if a short dress would look good on me or if it would just make me look like a little kid trying on a puffy dress!

Favors

So not only do I have a coupon for Oriental Trading Company; $15.00 off of $80.00 and free shipping, but I also have two $10.00 free gift cards. Needless to say, I think it would be a perfect time to order the Black and White Swirl Pops, as you get 24 for $12.00, and they would have our personalized message on it! Chris and a few others think it is too early to order them...

Daughter in Law

Chris's father sent a package today with a super heavy saw, which I told him not to ship because it would cost lots of money but he did it anyway. When Chris's dad heard about how upset I was that he wasted the money, he said "Tell my future Daughter in Law that I love her too"...I guess this makes it ok =)

Cake Toppers

So I have no idea if I want a cake, cup cakes or what but I saw some cute wedding cake toppers on this site: http://www.beau-coup.com/romantic-couple-wedding-cake-topper.htm

This one though, I think fits us perfectly...http://www.etsy.com/listing/62866558/video-game-junkie-groom-customized

Wisconsin Wedding?

I picked up a 'Wisconsin Wedding' magazine in one of the places we had to stop at while on our 'Time Share' tour. I thought I would come across some cool ideas but nothing too exciting to catch my eye. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from the Cheese state...

Wedding Print Toilet Paper

Something to make you smile while using the bathroom at our
'Party'

http://www.orientaltrading.com/wedding-print-toilet-paper-a2-3_1526.fltr

Finger Print Wedding Bands

Your fingerprint on your partners ring, Their fingerprint on your ring...Or any variation- that's the idea!

Read more at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/fabuluster

...On Hold...

Due to my car accident, plans might be on hold till I figure out what is happening; i.e. if I need to spend money to buy a new car or not. Either way, I am safe and alive so in all reality, I can still marry Chris but I just might not have a vehicle to drive!

Etching Cream required for Favors

While doing some 'craft' shopping today, I figured I would pick up up the materials I needed to test out the Etched Pint Glasses as favors (http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/05/how-to_greater_than_drunk_pint.html) because when I Googled info on the Etching Cream a while back, some warned about the smell as well the timing. Needless to say, I first looked at JoAnn's but shockingly they didn't have any; I even asked 3 different workers and even called Chris to make sure I was looking for the right stuff; I did get my test letter stickers from there though. Next I tried Micheals, who I called first to verify that they had it. After searching for a long while, I came across it on the back shelf near the bathrooms; go figure. There were three different sizes, 3 oz, 10 oz and 22 oz, however only the 3 oz size had a price $12.99, which to me seemed super expensive for such a small amount. Considering such, I took the other two sizes and brought them to check out. After hearing the prices though, I went back and grabbed the 3 oz size since I didn't want to spend $40.00 on the 22 oz ounce or $27.00 on the 10 oz not knowing if it was even going to work or if this was in fact what we were going to do. I know that they sell it at Walmart so worse come sot worse, I can see if they have it cheaper. Regardless, I now have the supplies and will test it out later this week on one of my own glasses.

Coupons

I was able to get two Alphabet Stacks today at JoAnn's! Not only were they on sale for 40%, but I also had a 20% coupon so I got them for 60% off - go me!

The Alphabet Stack

While cleaning out my hall closets today, I decided I was way over for filing away paid bills and important papers so I decided to organize my closet's filing cabinet. While doing so, not only did I come across ISAT scores from when I was in Middle School (mind you I scored really bad so I am sure my teachers must have hated me), I came across a Black & White Glittered Alphabet Stack Photo card stock pack I purchased years ago at JoAnn Fabrics; anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Black and White and I am addicted to purchasing 'Alphabet' related things. Needless to say, this card stock pack is perfect for our reception as I can use it for almost everything, invites, centerpieces, name place holders, etc. I will have to go buy another to use for the party though because gosh for bid I touch this one; I need one as a collectors item! Luckily I found them not only on Ebay, but also on JoAnn.com so if they are not in the store any longer, I can just order them online and they are one sale (http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat2607&PRODID=xprd571338). Too perfect!

Dream

Had my first weeding dream last night! It was my same black and white party theme, but the reception was huge and there were tons of people from middle school and high school that I never talk in attendance. Then out of no where, everyone started singing the 'Marry You' song from Glee and some even danced. It was cute, but Chris missed it as he had to get his guitar; sounds typical =)

Music

Started picking some music; Mary Ann said that for her wedding her sons just burned a bunch of CD's and then after words she kept them and whenever she listens to them, she's reminded of her wedding. I thought this was a good idea so I started searching for songs that Chris and I share something with or that we love and won't get sick of if we hear them again. Link to our songs so far: http://visauldeyanaweddingplans.blogspot.com/p/reception-music.html

Q vs. E

Bought a bunch of 'BOGO' containers today to seperate all my Scrabble letters. Let's just say I only have 2 Q's but about 50 E's...not sure if this is going to work but then again, who even knows exactly what I want yet?!?!?!

Scrabble Boards

So I sent out an 'All Staff' email requesting Scrabble items for a lesson and I figured I could use the extras for the reception. Lucky for me someone was cleaning out their classroom this week since they are switch teams and came upon lots of Scrabble games another teacher had donated to them. Needless to say, I now have a ton of plastic scrabble boards, trays and tiles for free!

Luminous Life

Found a photographer that I like by accident via Facebook. Only issue, they are in Galena...shocking! http://www.luminousportraits.com/