Chicago: happy birthday sis!

I think there's an iphone pic on FB for Ft Lauderdale. I was there for work, so that's no fun. We're gonna start with Chicago.

Waited ~1.5 hours for foi gras hot dogs and the like at Hot Doug's in the misty cold morning. Owner Doug is the nicest guy. He takes his time talking to each customer to make sure they are putting together the order they want. That's also why the line is so long. We ordered 10 hot dogs for the 3 of us.

Alliance Bakery where R got the sis a bday cake.

Who wore it better? ;)

This is upon arrival at Charlie Trotter's, where an epic night was about to unfold. Little did we know that we would be here for 4 hours until 1:30 am and be the last ones in the restaurant. Thank god people started leaving so that we could start being the goofballs that we are and loudly revel in the delicious food. AND we got a tour of the kitchen. We were so busy being involved in the meal though that we unfortunately forgot to take a picture of us at the table. :(

Family friends gave the Sis their fancy camera, so the Sis gave me her SLR. This trip was my first time having fun with it, so there were a lot of blurry pictures. It did provide me some entertainment at the O'Hare airport though as I waited for my plane that was delayed for 3 hours.

up in the air

Ironically, I saw Up In The Air on an airplane, which seems to be where I've been the past month.

April 29-30, Fort Lauderdale

May 13-15, Chicago

May 21-25, Madrid

May 29-June 13, Honeymoon in Thailand and Bali

Let's begin!

wedding photos are up!

http://lafflerphotography.com/blog/?p=8775

the mula

You're told a lot of things in the wedding business.

1. engagement ring should cost 3 months salary
2. venue/food will make up 50% of your total budget
3. etc, you get the picture

These things are what I hate about the wedding industry. Who's to tell you how much things should cost, ie, who should tell you what's important to you? Puhleeease. The extravagance that's expected, the traditions that you're expected to adhere to. In the end, it's all really up to you. I picked up a total of 0 wedding magazines and watched 0 wedding shows on TLC. I knew enough of what I wanted from going to a few weddings that I didn't want to pay any attention to what others were saying you need to do. My inspiration stemmed from google images. I figured out costs based on my research skills that were built from my general frugality.

This is the breakdown from our wedding, and it was about what we wanted to hit. Basically, we wanted to spend in areas that were most important to us, which were venue/food and photographer. So for the other main vendors, we wanted to hit below budget to make room for the many many other little things that we knew needed to happen but couldn't think of during the budgeting process.

Ending up 50% below budget on music was soooo helpful! And with the help from a few helpful worker bees, invitations, all things paper, and favors fell below budget too.

This was the most I ever spent on any single thing. I was stingy throughout the whole process, but now, I miss having something to spend on! Spending is fun!!

musac

I went through a lot of music to try to find a song that would pair well with the STD. It was at least if not more of a struggle than creating the actual video! While we didn't end up using it for the STD, what came out of the search was a song that really resonated with me, and was ultimately played during the wedding processional. I can get kinda obsessive about things I love, and so I got obsessive about this song and played it over and over and over and OVER again. It always got me in a "wedding" mood even if I was in "wedding frustrate" mood.

Wedding music

Processional - The Way I am by Ingrid Michaelson, I'll Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie, Marry Me by Train, First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes, Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (for the bride)

Recessional - All You Need is Love by The Beatles

First song - At Last by Etta James

Father/daughter, mother/son dance - In My Life by The Beatles

Cake Cutting - Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan

Last song - Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

A piece of advice. Our dj, per their suggestion and our agreement, went with a "no request" policy during the reception. However, it was "no request" unless approved by the bride or groom. I think this is a good idea, but make sure to tell the dj to not direct the requester to go and ask the bride/groom, so that the bride and groom don't have to figure out how to say no to a Justin Bieber request from a 5-year-old!! Rather, it would have been better if they just said they're not taking requests, and then the dj him/herself would go and talk to the bride and groom to see if it's okay. That way the bride/groom doesn't have to feel like the bad guy on her/his wedding day!

my first pod!

Loogat it!

I can recline 180 degrees!

I was so excited I took a bunch of pictures right when I boarded, much to the unamusement of the guy sitting next to me. He like, did NOTHING. He sat down like it was a normal seat. I played with all the buttons, reclined 180 degrees, changed back to upright position, turned on the TV, planned my movies, and then started one right away while the plane was still at the gate. Unfortunately, this upgrade was on a mere 3 hour flight so fitting in 2 movies was going to be a challenge. I hoped for a delay. I ate everything they served me. Food was not great, but who can complain when you're eating with your legs stretched out straight in front of you?

STD

I purposefully did not post any wedding stuff to avoid being obnoxious, so I overtook love4lash as my electronic idea board for about 6 months. But now that everything is done, imma gonna indulge myself and review all the stuff we did to try to make our wedding special.

First up - save the dates! (not the disease)

Save the date! from Andrea Lo & Pete Rossi on Vimeo.

• Thumbnail photograph - Loberg (that's my sis and friend)
• Camera - trusty Canon Powershot
• Veggies - local grocery and Pete's garden
• Music - Pea by Rabbit!
• Cutting board - Bed Bath & Beyond (returned after the project heeeee!)
• Software - GraphicsConverter, iMovie

Making this stop motion video was like doing a lab experiment. My lab experiments required image capture and solid setup of subject, camera, and lighting. This was exactly that, but this was a ton of fun to make and didn't take 5 years to complete!

sneak peek at the wedding!

It's odd to come back from such a momentous event in your life and not have any pictures to show for it.

For the time being, my awesome photographer Todd Laffler posted a few teasers on his blog.

It was as wonderful and magical of a day as I could have ever imagined. I had resigned to having an indoor wedding given the rainy weather forecast, but hoped quietly that the skies would dry up for us in the evening. When Saturday started, it looked like that rain wasn't going to let up, but around 3pm, an hour before we had to make a final decision on whether the ceremony should be indoors or outdoors, the rain stopped. And what it left was a foggy, misty air in its wake. And it was mystical. I wouldn't have taken a sunny day over it.

What lay before me as I walked down the aisle was a fairyland containing all my friends and family looking happy, and my Pete waiting for me at the end. It's a picture that will stay with me forever.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. All the speeches were both funny and so so touching.

We had lots of little projects to make the evening interactive and personal, which I will document in upcoming posts! SO MANY CRAFTS deserves own post. :D Gotta gather pictures.

While I'm sad the weekend is over, I'm also happy to have no more stress. I knew I was pretty wound up, so P and I went to get massages yesterday. And since I was no longer trying to look good, I agreed to get one of those aggressive hard massages that are supposed to actually do more for you and your muscles. I got BEAT UP, man. BEAT UP. I was doing what I imagine lamaze breathing to be throughout the whole HOUR LONG session. I feel like my back has been through a trauma. It's supposed to feel better eventually, right? Right???

Engagement photos

P and I took engagement photos this week, and for us, that meant being the subjects of a photography mentoring session. I got a preview shot from the "student!"

All in all, it was really fun. We were given direction on what to do with our awkward limbs (eg, instead of just giving us 2 coffee mugs to hold in each of our hands :P ), who to look at, etc. We were basically not left to our own devices, which was a good thing. And since it was a mentoring session, we were given the inside track of what a photographer thinks when taking photographs. For instance, they have their go-to shot. Or if they really want you to laugh, they have a database of tried and true jokes to pull out, but only at the right times.

I hope to post more soon!

1 month to go!

1 month to the day, we will say I do!

We had minor freak-outs this morning as we realized we hit the month mark.

Worries:

• Hope the wedding party looks good. Still working on the finishing touches - sweater/wrap to keep my bm's warm, ties for the gm.
• Although in person the centerpiece concept looked great, the pictures that our florists took of the finished pieces were really mediocre. Trying to keep the faith.
• Officiant - yet to find one. eeps!
• What do I do for hair/makeup? It's so expensive that I wonder if I'd rather not do professional, but I want to look good and if I do professional, who do I choose? No great source of reviews online, and it's really a matter of taste. And I hate being lumped into the "bridal" category because prices jump sky high.

Bah!

sad snoopings

Around 8pm last night, I found this odd scene on the sidewalk near my building. Please excuse, I took this with my BB. Broken chair, a "very loved" Snoopy, hanging out in front of a dumpster.

12 hours later, I saw this down the other end of the block.

DRAMA.

Poor Snoopy took the Charlie Sheen drug.

...

After I already posted the findings of this morning, I saw this as I was walking home. So the story continues. I like this much better. I want Snoopy to find a good home. But that home isn't me because you don't know what kind of germs Mr. Snoopy is carrying!

Poor guy. His head is too heavy for him. I think he's been played with and loved so much it's about time he turned into a real dog. :)

---

Friday update: Snoopy takes the wheel.

a century and 2

My grandpa is 102 years old!

dose of pups

On Conan:

By the way, in past years I have watched both the Lingerie Bowl and Puppy Bowl. Always a battle between men and women as to which one of these to put on.

How these puppies are not chewing these things off each other is beyond me!

Congrats Packers and Cal grad Aaron Rodgers!!

Sundance '11

This year's experience was quite different than those of the past (like here, here, and here). We attended the second week of the film festival instead of the first just because of scheduling conflicts. I have to say that this was SO relaxing and felt like I actually got to soak in Park City!

We did put in our time though and invested it in waiting in line for the Son of No One, starring Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta, and Juliet Binoche. Al and Juliet didn't attend the premiere, but everybody else did!

Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes, and Ray Liotta

Us and Channing Tatum

I daresay CHARMED Channing. I often think of witty things to say to celebs AFTER meeting them, and then curse myself for not thinking of them earlier. I've gotten calmer over the years though and have made progress in this conversation department. This time around, I got a chuckle out of him! I told him that he should come over to take a picture with us because we're really cute. :)

Movie was just okay. The premise didn't make a whole lot of sense. Acting was pretty good.

Up and running!

Thanks to P and his roommate (whom I still call roommate even though I'm the current roommate), I am back up and running with a new and improved laptop! Twice the RAM and double the size of my original hard drive. New versions of the OS and software, Woohoo!

So this is what has been stored up.

P's Bday

Ang's Bday

New Year's

Tahoe Trip #1 - uh... I think Sugar Bowl. This was during the storm, so 0 visibility but perfect snow conditions!

Tahoe Trip #2 - Heavenly

sucky new year

why no post?

In 2011:

1. My laptop's hard drive got sick and is dying. Consequently many photos that have been waiting to be posted have disappeared. SAAADDD.
2. My dentist told me that it's possible that the nerve of my front tooth is on it's way out. WAY OUT? I have great dental hygiene, floss everyday, and have only had 2 minor fillings. AND NOW ROOT CANAL?
3. Work sucks.

Therefore, no posts.

Am merely procrastinating right now because I don't want to prepare for a big presentation tomorrow for which I have leave my apartment at 6:45 am.

Houston!

Most stylish wedding ever by blog-goddess.

First crawfish (aka crayfish, crawdads) experience! Yum! And it's not even crawfish season.

Texans are proud of their kolaches. Not bad. A doughy/bready outside with breafast goodies inside. I liked the hot Texas Polish sausage kolache. Don't know what makes it "Texas." Probably bigger than the regular sized hot Polish sausage.

october-endings

Muse concert at Nassau Coliseum. This is why Manhattaners stay on Manhattan. After finding out that the Long Island RR (LIRR) was out of commission that weekend and it would take a series of subway, bus, train, and cab to get to the concert, we decided to rent a car. And then it took ~2 hours to go the 27 miles. However, we arrived right on time, just before the opening act! Fun concert and best light show ever!

Halloween. Great holiday to roam around the streets of NYC. Just about everything is amusing.

I'm Mike Tyson and P is Don King in case you couldn't tell. :)

MILTON, GA. - It's the second day of camp. A dozen dogs are lined up in cages in the Canine Assistants classroom, waiting to get matched with the children they'll go home with at the end of two weeks. If all goes well, the dogs will love and protect these children for the rest of their lives.

Ever since the dogs were 3-day-old puppies being carried around in baby slings to get exposed to new sights and sounds, these specially bred retriever mixes have been prepped and trained for service. Now, at 18 months old, they're ready for their biggest test.

After two years of waiting, Billy Ma, 11, has traveled with his family from Ohio to the service-dog headquarters north of Atlanta. Some children wait five years or longer for an assistance dog. Billy has been placed on a priority list because he suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease that affects mostly boys.

The matching process is a little bit of science and a lot of art, trainer Chris Casatelli of Canine Assistants explains. The organization compiles personality profiles of the recipients based on information from the children, their parents and their doctors. They look for dogs with similar dispositions and see how the pairs interact.

But as the trainers tell the families, the dogs hold the cards. Ultimately they are the ones who decide on the families with which they go home.

"A lot of times you can just throw all the personality profiles out the window and a match just happens right in front of you," Casatelli says.

A Big Dog Chooses Billy
At 68 pounds, Polar, a fair-colored Lab/retriever mix, is the largest dog of the bunch. Billy is one of the smaller children, short for his age because of the steroids he takes. He walks slowly, bearing his weight on his toes, with his chest pointed out – hallmarks of his disease -- and falls down frequently.

But when they meet, none of that matters. Unlike other dogs who pace around his wheelchair or seem excited or distracted, Polar is fixed on Billy.

Plus, he's strong enough and has been trained to wear a leather harness that Billy can grab onto to steady himself. As long as Billy doesn't try to ride Polar like a horse, the dog will always be able to bear his weight.

"My first thought was, 'Wow, this is a big dog for this little boy,'" says Casatelli, Polar's trainer. "But then when you see him walking with his balance harness, and Polar's very gentle and taking his time and going slow to accommodate William's slower gait, you just know he's picking up on what he needs."

With Polar's help, Casatelli hopes that Billy will be able to continue walking on his own.

Billy's parents want the dog to go to school with their son and assist him with tasks, such as picking things up from the floor. Above all, they want the dog to be his friend and help him stay connected to the world.

"Because of his muscle weakness, he cannot do like other children are doing, like running around and playing," Billy's dad, Steve Ma, says. "Maybe with the dog, they'll want to be around him more."

Getting Comfortable With Polar
A day after the match is made, Billy and his parents start to bond with Polar. They're nervous because they've never had a dog. Back at the hotel, Polar defecates on the carpet. The second night, the dog falls out of Billy's bed.

Their comfort level rises as the days pass. Billy's mom holds open Polar's lips and Billy brushes his teeth with poultry-flavored paste. They get used to having a dog under the dinner table, and Billy knows the gentle tone to use to get Polar to go to the bathroom.

On a group trip to Target, Polar dutifully plods alongside Billy's wheelchair while the boy examines video games, Legos and more toys. Other service dogs walks by, but aside from a casual glance, Polar keeps walking.

The only time Polar reacts is when Billy and his dad come upon a display of colored bounce balls and take some out to play with. When a ball bounces near Polar, he gets scared and starts to run.

"Are you OK?" Billy asks Polar, reaching down to pet the dog's fur. "No more scary balls."

A clerk tells Billy what his family already knows: he has the prettiest dog in the store.

Billy is looking forward to training and playing with Polar back in Ohio. But they still have a lot to learn about each other.

One day, toward the end of camp, the boy is sitting in his wheelchair and Polar puts his paws on the boy's thighs.

"What does that mean?" Billy asks Casatelli.

The answer comes quickly.

"That means 'I love you.'"

www.pawnation.com

Puerto Rico

Roadside food trucks serve the best food. This is pollo asado with yuca and corn.

Some lady saw P eying her hat. So, she gave it to him. And, he wore it. Everybody was jealous.

Outside el Castillo de San Cristobal in Old San Juan. Appropriate for Columbus Day weekend!

Looking out from inside the castillo. This was used to keep an eye on any invaders.

And then there were other interesting things from trucks:

Alternative to "wholesome."

Just so weird!

The main reason I wanted to go to Puerto Rico was the bioluminescent bays. It was well worth it. While we had something like 15 kayaks with the company (ie, 30 people!), slowpoke paddling in pitch black darkness, and 1 kayak flipping over and dumping its people in the water, the experience was like none other. There were a million stars in the sky, and billions of little buggies lighting up the water! These bugs light up in response to movement -- so streaks of water would illuminate with each paddle stroke, and your hands and feet would illuminate if you wiggled them in the water. Amazing.