Spring showers.....

So, I'm now mildly concerned about what the weather is going to do on our wedding day next year, with all the rain we've had this month. We are scheduled for April 10, 2010, and it could be absolutely gorgeous, or it could be flooding. It's in God's hands! Although, it might make sense for it to be pouring rain during the day, stop during the ceremony, and then it can pour again after everyone is safely in the reception venue. That's kind of how our engagement day went down. God cleared up the skies just long enough for D to propose outdoors, just the way he wanted. Luckily, I was smart enough not to plan any portion of the wedding outdoors, but there are optional outdoor "components", and who wants bad weather frizzing everyone's hair, and getting people wet as they enter and leave buildings?

We have a church, a reception venue (and with that comes food/booze/cake), and I have a dress. Next on the list is photographer, videographer, and band. It's a lot of work getting this all done, but it's just so worth it to me. I do lots of research into every aspect in the hopes of making it a fantastic day. I can't wait to be Mrs. D! I love the hell outta him. :)

It's a busy week at work with our upcoming gala this weekend. My hopes are that the weather clears up by the weekend so that our guests don't have to contend with it. Event week=jeans all week, which is awesome.

This is short, gotta get back to work!

Pet Peeve # 417: Overcologning

This post kind of functions as a PSA to men: Please, please, please stop slapping on the cologne so liberally. I got overcologned in the elevator this morning, and the stench is still permeating my nostrils.

I have found that the most common offenders are a) old men, b) foreign men, and c), the worst offenders of all, old foreign men. This statement isn't meant to be a stereotype or generalization.... well, maybe it is, but I find it to be true. I feel like I have intimate knowledge, being Greek and all. Old Greek men LOVE them some cologne.

I don't understand. I love it when you can smell a subtle musk on a man. Why would anyone believe you have to throw on half a bottle in order to achieve that effect? Doesn't it get expensive? It's awful, and it is most awful when you are trapped in small spaces, like elevators. If you can still smell the cologne after the offender has exited the space, IT IS TOO MUCH.

So, please, gentlemen, please take away this lesson for future reference: tone down the cologne!

Of Cancer, Money, Marriage, and Men

I'll start off with the quick good news- had my usual 4 month tests at MD Anderson. Unpleasantness, but the test results from this morning were great. No cancer! Wooooooo!

Money- Ug, love it and hate it. The spending diet didn't go quite as planned, but I think I did alright. I'm going to keep working at it. It's tough when unexpected things come up. For example, I found a good price on a plane ticket last week that I would have needed to buy at some point..... so I did it then. I'm going to E's Vegas bachelorette party in June, and I'm all about a deal. I'm still not a perfect spender, but it's been alright.

Marriage- for once, not about me! D and I went to an "anti" wedding shower this weekend for E and S. It was the kind of party where you wear a fake mustache made out of felt, and there are shirts that proclaim people's love for bacon. The rule was the gift had to be $10 or less from a convenience or drug store, so we went with the ever-popular lottery tickets, a mix of scratch offs and mega millions quick picks. We played beer pong and bean bag toss, grilled out, jammed to old school Michael Jackson, and eventually walked over to Lizzard's. It was a really fun night.

Sunday we ventured to my sister's house for Easter, which involved drinking, grilling out, staging an easter egg hunt for the kids..... very fun day.

And men? I've got the best one!!!!! That's it. :)

This week is super busy, I have a bunch of stuff going on, including my very first event that I planned and executed myself. Please keep your fingers crossed that it goes well!

A "spending diet"

As I was heading to bed last night, I watched a special after the nighttime news called "Stretching your Dollar", where they talk about lots of ways to save money in this day and time. I actually heard some pretty good ideas, and one of them is called the "spending diet". It's pretty simple- for one week, you don't spend any money. Of course, I imagine it's a lot harder in practice.

But, I did my grocery shopping yesterday, so I have plenty of food, and I'm willing to give this spending diet a try. I'm not going to spend any money from now until next Sunday.

It sounds easy, but I already see some obstacle's on the horizon.....

For instance, D and I are going to the baseball game on Wednesday night. They are his firm's tickets, so those are free. However, I can't imagine going to a baseball game and not buying some beer. And a hot dog! Isn't that part of the fun of baseball? I have yet to figure out a solution for that one. Maybe if D buys my beer? But, does his money count as my money? So complicated!

I honestly don't spend that much in a week. I generally bring my lunch every day, and I cook dinner most nights. But, little things come up. I'll stop and get frozen yogurt, or buy a magazine or something..... I would like to eliminate gratuitous spending along those lines. I really don't need anything. So, I'm going to give this a try, and maybe turn it into a permanent situation of only spending money one day a week to replenish things like groceries, maybe go out one night.... we'll see.

They also featured a woman who started a practice of saving all of her $5s. Anytime she got a 5, it got stashed away, and in a matter of months, she had over $1,000. Granted, this was a woman who stopped using credit cards, so she always had more cash on hand than the average person, but I think it's an interesting idea. A $5 is a small enough denomination that you won't really miss it if you put it away, but large enough to add up in the big picture.

The featured another lady who is one of those super coupon users. She writes a blog on finding deals on the internet, and how to maximize coupons. Last year, she challenged herself to spend only $800 for the entire year on groceries for a family of 4. She came in $40 under the $800, which astounds me. I spend that much in two months at the grocery store! I don't think I'll be going to those extremes, because I imagine $800 limits you incredibly as to what you can eat, and limits the amount of fresh items you can buy, but I will try and utilize more coupons.

I'm almost exactly a year out from our wedding, and I want to become even smarter about our money. I want to make sure we save early and often so that we are able to have the kind of life we would like!