friends

Happy Anniversary to us!

One decade ago, we said said, “I Do” while surrounded by the love of ~300 of our family/friends. It was our perfect day.

• We filled the church with bluebonnet scented candles early that day to fill the church with their gorgeous smell.
• The weather was perfect. Father John opened the windows to our church. I never saw them opened before and haven’t since! The scent of the candles lingered among the feel of gentle breezes and sounds of chirping birds.
• Our family and friends were perfect. My heart grew larger and larger at several points during the last few days of planning and the wedding weekend:
  • when I heard our wedding music the first time–performed by Tim, Alison, Melissa, John, and Emily–on piano and strings; I didn’t just tear up, I cried; it wasn’t just the songs we picked, it was the personal touch only family and talent can bring to the occasion
  • when the girls on our Alternative Spring Break trip were so anxious to do *something* that they tied our bubbles in a flash of ~10 minutes…in the van…on the way to the Gila National Forrest…in New Mexico
  • when Patty & Julie arrived from Miami to help, support, and love the whole weekend and all the hustle-bustle
  • when the Jenn/Patty/Julie took me out for what might be deemed The Most Calm Bachelorette Party Ever®; somewhere I have the Aggie CARPOOL receipt from my ride home
  • when Emil’s family and our wedding party showed up in droves on Friday to help decorate the reception hall
  • when Patty made gorgeous on-the-spot silk arrangements from the stems and garlands I purchased because she saw voids in my “affordable” decor plan for a giant reception hall
  • when Elain ran the one errand she hates because she was the only one who could leave the decorating
  • when Emil’s mom managed the process for extra last-minute linens from the church’s ladies’ organization where we rented them
  • when Jim personally delivered the party favors I forgot to pick up
  • when someone (who??) alerted me to the time for us to meander over to the church for the rehearsal
  • when I changed from the tshirt I was wearing to one that was for The Big Event (an Aggie tradition) that was set for our wedding date: 3.31.01; #awesomesauce
  • when Scott, just one week after graduation from Trooper Academy was there for our big weekend eventhough we were absent (due to Alternative Spring Break) from his
  • when Father John made ready his favorite five ferns (a Zeta Tau Alpha nod, even!) to fill the rail in back of the altar
  • when I heard Diane and Crystal speak our selected wedding readings during the rehearsal; they were poised and eloquent for both the rehearsal and ceremony
  • when AJ thanked me for including our whole family in various roles of the ceremony mass and reception; she told me she was proud to wear a corsage on our wedding day
  • when Emil’s brothers took him out for pool; they’d never gone out as a group before…and though it was the closest thing he had to a Bachelor Party and was the night before the wedding, it was low-key and “safe”
  • when I took quiet/alone time after the rehearsal to calligrapher my personal/private vows to Emil and sew the navy blue roses to the back of my dress (a Paula Opal original and one-of-a-kind)
  • when AMay gave me a pretty face with her fierce makeup skillz
  • when my mom and grandmother showed up dressed perfectly for our theme/style, eventhough I’d never gone with them to pick dresses
  • when Pam gave me her emerald engagement ring to “borrow”; a nod to my own Irish lineage, too
  • when our photographer, Tim, made me feel like a princess instead of like the photo-phobe I normally am; who knew such a introvert to make me feel so at ease?
  • when I saw Daddy for the first time in a tux; he looked so handsome and wanted so desperately to please me that day
  • when Erin genuinely grinned to each guest
  • when our wedding party walked down the aisle, arm-in-arm, with the ladies sporting those cute little sweep trains I adored
  • when Sharis drove in from San Antonio, arriving after the matrons/maid walked, but just before I did…such a sweet moment
  • when Daddy was at the ready with a handkerchief just before he walked me down the aisle…and how perfectly he performed such a very-important-to-me role from the foyer to the doors to the aisle to the actual giveaway (I love and miss you, Daddy!)
  • when Donna & Matt reverently escorted the Host and those worthy to receive it
  • when we shared the light from our unity candle with everyone in attendance…and wow is that a great photo!
  • when our (again, introvert) photographer was able to properly wrangle the Luza chaos into place for the big-damn-family portrait
  • when Leanne and Winkler set about 400 candles ablaze at our reception…to give the reception the look I wanted
  • when Chad and Brandon moved the altar arrangement to the reception (a step I had left out of the wedding day timeline)
  • when we weren’t yet “at” the reception; I peeked inside and saw decor moved and curtains pulled up off the floor and folded over a railing; I persisted until I found out the keg “exploded” beer all over the place; I’m still grateful that our family/friends took care of it as best they could in hopes that I’d never find out; no telling what else they “saved me from” that day!
  • when (again, when I peeked in) I saw everyone drinking our fancy margaritas…since there was no beer for the cocktail hour!
  • when Charles & Elain led us all, including my non-Czech/Catholic family and friends, through the Grand March, which rolled into our first dance, which was then severely interrupted by Aunt Grace, but that was fine because my dad’s laughter was priceless…making her shenanigans all worth it!
  • when, just after the first few reception “events-within-the-event” our photographer pulled us outside for some sunset images; Emil genuinely kissed me on the forehead, and Tim instantly said, “do that again!” One of my favorite shots!
  • when Mike DJ’d with the eloquence I felt worthy of a romantic day; we made the right choice in hiring a friend instead of “real” DJ
  • when, during the siblings portrait, Bobby hugged me and said, “Welcome to the family, Sis.”
  • when Sandra/Roy emcee’d each and every little “event-within-the-event” with perfection, poise, and humor
  • when Leanne and the other Replant members asked for a photo with us
  • when my grandparents danced for a few moments during the Generations Dance; Mama Bee was miserable yet tolerant of my wishes, but Grandaddy was elated
  • when Bob joked about his little gift prank of “camping” “egg cartons”; he must have given us three of them between our shower, the wedding, and “just because”
  • when Ali (and her/Jenn’s mom) found me at the water “barrel” and said sweet things about our ceremony (which given the month, colors, and similar faith was right on target with her own wedding a year or two before)
  • when Tres (Charlie the Third) danced with me, and when he danced with Kelly
  • when (one more time) our photographer remembered one of my Must Have images of us getting margaritas from the margarita fountain
  • when Pam & Pat were dancing to the songs we picked just for them (Play That Funky Music, White Boy and Brick House); probably my most favorite image from the whole reception
  • when Jenn made sure I remembered to give Emil’s mom, my parents, and my grandparents their gifts; yep, I had forgotten
  • when Daddy asked if he could change; he was so concerned about being properly dressed for long enough, but also knew he had to give his tux to Emil’s brother Tim to return on Sunday
  • when Emil told me and all our guests of our honeymoon location (I was too stressed out with wedding planning and asked him to plan the whole honeymoon & not tell me where we were going; he bought/packed me everything from swimsuits to sweaters): Greece; I’m still kinda dumbfounded that we did that; best wedding decision I made; best trip ev-AR; the image of my face during the reveal is another favorite image. Thank you, Julie, for your stories that made me appreciate Greece from afar.
  • when Crystal, who is Greek, taught us Thank You (Efharistó) and other key phrases in Greek in anticipation of our trip
  • when Emil gave envelopes containing itineraries and contact info to both our moms in case the unthinkable happened while we were abroad
  • when we had our getaway to the sights of bubbles and the sounds of little bells; it was a perfect blend for our senses to end our perfect day!

Happy Anniversary, Emil, my darling, my love. We had our perfect day, and these last 10 years have been the best of my life. I know the next decade will be just as exuberant as the last.

xxxooo

We have a set of friends with whom we are very close. We thought we’d lost them at one point, but we were wrong. They are still a vibrant (albeit too infrequent, of course) part of our lives.

We have other friends we communicate with on an infrequent basis. We know that–regardless of distance of “time and space” –they are dear friends.

Still, others come-and-go in our lives. We may lose touch for one reason or another. Technology is advantageous at this point. One benefit of linkedin/facebook is that we can reconnect with some of them.

So, imagine my surprise when a friend from several years ago sent me a message on linkedin…and lo and behold…she lives in Austin!

From ~2000-2005 I worked on a committee with Lara. I adored her and everything she brought to the program we supported. She got out when I should have. In hind-sight, I admire her for that, too.

Long-story-short, when we realized we were in the same city and both had flexible schedules, we started co-working. So far, I have been the one who is helpful, but she’s already scolding me for not letting her return the favor. I don’t care; she has a deadline that I do not. Plus, I know she’s good for it. She and I hold the same value of balance. Come to think of it, I need to see if she’s also a Libra-now-Virgo. (Zodiac changes or not, I still crave my balance.)

I’m glad to see that our professional-with-waves-of-personal friendship from several years ago can be completely resurrected now that we are both entrepreneurs who can help one another. Expect some grand things from As You Wish, now that I have her help!

that one is for you, LL1

Pretty impressive that this ONE guy did the WHOLE thing a Capella!

It’s REALLY good at 2:00 in…and then at 3:20 he shows how he made it.

Hat tip to Leanne H. for showing me this one that tells a little about Chanukkah (and that led to a whole group of similar parodies). Thanks, Leanne!

Our week in DFW was full of fun (well, for one of us, at least.)

Sunday-drive up. We got a late start, but got there just fine. The hotel next to Emil’s class building was really nice. The only thing we missed was a mini-fridge.

Monday-While Emil had his first day of class, complete with his first night of studying, I spent the afternoon and evening with JJ & Becky and their kids. What fun we had with games, and supper, and trains, and more.

Tuesday-While Emil took his first test, I spent the day with Leanne. She was on vacation before her new job started. We had a great day making Challah and prepping for Friday services and the meal that would follow.

Wednesday-While Emil studied for the 2nd test, I spent the day with Sue and Bero at their home in Weatherford. We worked on her blog, traded Photoshop tricks, and picked gargantuan veggies from her garden. Vine-ripened tomatoes! Yum!

Thursday-While Emil took his 2nd test, I had no plans other than some editing to catch up on. I was a pretty disappointed in my food and WiFi choices for the day. If Las colinas is going to be such a corporate park—and with the construction of the Irving Convention Center complete with a light rail—they need to get with the times.

Friday-While Emil studied for his third test, I buzzed over to Fort Worth to hang with Jordan. I edited photos while she worked the UP desk at her real estate office. Then, we went to lunch and then spent the afternoon co-working before she had to leave to meet clients and I had to leave to get back to Leanne’s. I met Leanne at her Synagogue and attended services with her. She then welcomed me and several friends into her home for a proper meal for Shabbaz complete with blessings of the bread and wine and washing of our hands. It was a wonderful experience; I checked something off my bucket list.

Saturday-Emil’s last day of class and final test. I spent a good deal of time editing, but also carved out some time for myself at the pool.

Sunday-We slept in, had a yummy brunch, and made our way back home. Purrrrl seems to have zen’ed all week; she was bothered that our home arrival interrupted her nap. Thanks to our friend Cathy for checking in on Purrrrrl and Turtleor.

“oh I’ve got friends in HIGH places”
YIELDS “I have the most amazing friends.”

Today, I emailed some friends in the DFW area to let them know we’d be up there in a couple of weeks.

My main plan is to mostly edit/blog like a mad fiend, but I also hope to host some portrait sessions from friends of friends, if possible.

Within MINUTES of that email, I had exuberant replies from friends offering places to stay, cultural opportunities, professional development opportunities, referrals to friends, and fun! I literally teared up and jumped up and down with excitement
…with only moments between those emotions.

It was, literally, the happiest day of my life since the day I found out we were “really and truly” moving to Austin.

So, my dear friends, thank you ten-fold for your faith in me and my work and your love and devotion to me as a person (who is sometimes on the fringe). I appreciate even the tiniest gesture of “Like”ing As You Wish photography on facebook as well as your legitimate referrals to your friends/colleagues.

More than anything else, I appreciate that you welcome me into your family/culture/society.

Each of you has honored me.

Many of you will remember our Bryan neighbors, Paul & Victoria Springer. They used to be as into Hallowe’en as we were so on the years when our parties would sync up, we’d all wander to their party and their guests would all wander over to our’s. They had the keg of beer, we had queso and kitty litter cake. Win-win and much fun. Paul spent a couple of years teaching at West Point while Victoria finished some courses and started her research. Eventually, she moved up there with him and then they re-located to Alabama.

Well, Paul wrote a book and it’s currently in pre-sales and scheduled for a March release.

Congratulations, Paul!!!

Some of our kindred spirits now live in the Deep South and threw a Hallowe’en party this year. Since I knew they would want a keg of Shiner, I asked about getting it, there.

Funny you should ask about the Shiner…Shiner ships here, so we get bottles easily, but this whole area…is weird about draft beer…There is NO draft beer available in the county that we live in or the next one over…not in bars, nothing. The only reason that draft beer is served in …is that they just got a minor league baseball team a few years ago, and part of the contract was that there would be draft beer available at games. I know we are in the Bible belt, but I have no idea why draft beer would be more evil than bottled or canned. So because of that, the only place to get a personal keg was at the on base military liquor store…..The only other option was to drive about 50 miles from here to a place that needs 2 weeks notice for anything other than cheap swill.

We love to “adventure” together. Any time we have to go somewhere new, we make a game of it. Thanks to Emil, we have always taken the odd routes. Thanks to VZ Navigator (a GPS navigation system built into our Verizon phones), we can wander off any beaten path and still find our way. We both have a good sense of direction, but it’s nice to have technology when we want to be somewhere specific at a certain time. Thanks to technology, we frequently take the odd routes. On our last trip in separate vehicles from Austin to Bryan, we found a castle. Yes, a castle. It’s in Pflugerville. I’m sure we couldn’t find it again.

Since we’ve been in ATX, we’ve tried to take all the strange roads. You might remember we got lost on West Cow, but we have also found several short cuts to our home.

• One Saturday morning, I was supposed to meet Beth at Dream Dinners. I’ve been wanting to do the assemble-your-own meal thing for years! I even had people lined up to go with me (to Village Table in Houston) two different times, but things fell through—for good reason—both times.
• I tried Super Suppers in College Station, but they quit doing the assemble-it-yourself system in favor of their it’s-made-for-you version. While the food was good enough, it was difficult to get in and didn’t let me omit the things Emil won’t eat. It was too much hassle.
• I considered Mom’s Meals, but they were all too carby.
• I ordered “mixes” from another company in Hearne, and again, they were all pasta/rice based and meant to be made with ground beef. I can get Hamburger Helper at HEB, thankyouverymuch.

So, when Beth told me about Dream Dinners, and then shared a meal with me at their home, I was dying to sign up. I made plans to go with her to her appointment on Saturday.

In learning to get there, I found a fun route down a winding road, so I awakened Emil-the-adventurer to join me. For a couple of reasons, we got lost on the way, and I joined Beth a little late. I still had a fabulous time assembling stuff and learning how the whole thing works. I signed up for July on the spot! At least some of our cooking will be both easy and healthy.

{Trust me, this part sounds boring, but there is a punch line.}

• Emil & I ended up all the way back at the Arboretum for “breakfast” at almost noon.
• When we emerged, the battery on the car was dead.
• Luckily, we found a nice guy (who was wearing a Thai Coca-Cola tshirt like the one Stephanie gave Emil when she came back from an entomology trip in 2006) to give us a jump.

While we kept the car running, we used VZ Navigator to help us find a battery store and went to a National Tire and Battery. Guess what they didn’t have? Batteries. Why? Because they are getting a new product line and some dolt ensured that their “bad/old” batteries were removed, first, to make room for the new ones they were yet to receive. They didn’t cover up the words “and Battery” in the name… Why would they take out all the batteries and then leave these poor stores with nothing? I Tweeted the product change #FAIL while Emil found AutoZone. We bought a battery with the car running, (broke the apartment rules and) installed the battery (quickly) in our parking lot. $90 later and we are ready to start the car!

After half of a day of some serious adventure, we felt it was in our destiny for the weekend and followed a route to some new homes in ATX. We can’t buy until our house in Bryan sells. wink-wink-nudge-nudge. The homes called Agave are 10 architects’ 50 designs that are funky/odd. Normally, this would be right up our alley, but these are lame.

• The first floors are “polished” concrete, so they didn’t spend the money on flooring.
• The stairs and upstairs are bamboo, but the “kick” part of the stairs is painted white wood, which is already nasty just from viewers.
• The homes all face west, so the A/C bills are going to be a nightmare.
• Most of them don’t have garages. The ones with carports are single-car.
• The HOA amenities include an unused community garden and some single-lot-sized parks.
• The purposely-not-mentioned “amenities” include views of a trailer park, a train track along the neighborhood, and close proximity to the water-treatment plant.
• They expect $220-350K for a home that is way east of I-35 with few interior features just for a view of a very distant downtown.
• Oh, and you have to drive through some shady stuff to get to downtown.
• What a joke!
• We were reminded of how happy we are to have a Realtor. Thanks, @bennrosales!!!

Our next adventure consisted of finding cushions to support us on the futon in the living room and to serve as a headboard in our room. Regardless of the kind of home, it seems that setting it up is a very long process. After moving from a 3+1/2/2.5/2 home to a 2-2 apartment, who’d have thought we’d need anything??!?

Next, we finally found the adventure we’d set out for on Saturday morning. We followed the long/winding road to both some exquisite and some adorable neighborhoods. We also took some routes through nearby neighborhoods. We passed the very park where Beth and Marc took us (and their dogs) for an afternoon romp.

All in all, it was a great weekend of adventure…and one of many we hope to have in our new city!

OK, seriously, how do good friends know just what you need and just when you need it?

Jordan, Leanne, JJ/Becky, and even Louie (whom I’m certain does not read our blog) have all been completely and totally there for me today while I’m in that frustrated panic to get everything ready for my first year to be a Wrangler at Texas Photography School. (Actually, being a Wrangler doesn’t have me nervous at all…..but just getting their with all my stuff I need and working out logistics is making me a wreck. It’s unreal how much there is to prepare for this trip.)

Thank you, friends.

smooches to you all!

Beth and I have a new “thing” that I hope will become a whole/real tradition (we’ve already met the Aggie definition of a tradition: it’s happened twice!).

Last night, we had a Wine for Whine session where we each had wine while we whined about the crap that is part of our lives right now.

There are so very many things we need to talk about….and tonight was a perfect release for all those little stresses.

Our first WfW went until ~3am while we talked about everything under the sun. Next time, curfew!