La Boda De Mis Sueños

Morning Call

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:40:00 +0000

When I was in elementary school I loved volunteering for extracurricular like class plays, recitals, stutdent council (I was co-president in the 6th grade!). And although the best part about participating in all these activities was getting ready for the big ta-da show, I always dreaded having to stand up in front of people. No matter how prepared I was or how small or big the crowd was, I would always be scared. In kindergarden I had the starring role of a class play and instead of showing off potential Academy Award winning skillz I shuffled through the play without looking at the audience while mumbling my lines. My teacher was mortified.

This fear I have has lasted through my adulthood. I graduated high school thinking I would never have to worry again about presentations and public speaking. No one told me that was what college and graduate school was all about! I took a public speaking class hoping it would help me overcome my fear. I just learned really cool vocal exercises and that I make weird faces when I speak.

Anyway throughout this whole planning process I have been relatively cool about the whole thing. Not nervous or overly excited, but more happy in a less overt manner. In fact my only real freakout was when I bought my dress and had a case of buyer's remorse (i.e should I have picked a A-line dress with straps over the strapless ballroom gown I chose?) Yesterday driving to the gym to lose the 4 pounds that mysteriously crept up last week I started to have the shakes. "Holy crap!" I thought, "I have to give a toast in front of a lot of people."

I don't want to talk too long, be too sentimental cause I have been known to cry on occasion, have those "ums and uhs" creep in or pull a Hilary Swank and forget to thank someone, although if I was married to Chad Lowe I would probably forget to give him a shout out too.

The whole day is going to be a blur I'm pretty sure. I just don't want to replay the video and shield my eyes from the horror.

Post Script: I haven't gotten a hair cut yet which is another reason I am totally buggin'. I don't have time. Wah.

Aw geez

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:48:00 +0000

I need a couple more days-no, not to plan silly! I need a couple more days to hit the gym! My body looks how I feel like: a pulpy mass of mush. There is so much going on, more inside my head than anything else. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel, if I have a lot left to do...I don't have a whole lot to do for the wedding itself. I only have to finish making escort cards. I keep running out of adhesive! Oskar is busy with work and decorating the favors. But I think we will be done by Tuesday night. Well we HAVE to be done by Tuesday.

Today on my agenda is:
1. Watch the kids
2. Pick up dress
3. Go to Michael's again.
4. Make dinner, for other people cause I'm not eating solids for the next days.
5. Gym gym gym.
6. Send timelines to bridal party and directions to places and assign duties.
7. Get a haircut
8. Buy swimsuits for honeymoon.
9. Wash the car
10. Thank you notes!
11. Screw it, I'm hungry.
12. Find a nice guest book that isn't white or lined with satin.

Oskar and I have taken two dancing lessons already. I thought he was going to be the one that had trouble but it turns out, I am the one with two left feet! In high school I was in a modern interpretive dance troupe and I liked it cause I was the one that did the choreography and two, you could basically do anything and it would be fine. Ballroom dancing is nothing like it. Posture, arm positions, that's fine. What I have trouble with is letting the guy lead (I literally have to close my eyes so that I'm not tempted to steal the lead) and making turns. You should have seen Oskar last week. He was getting SO frustrated with me. I have to give props to our instructor, Kimberly for not strangling me either. I think though, Oskar secretly liked the fact that he was better than me. Actually it's not that much of a secret.

For the first dance please feel free to join in after like 2 or 3 minutes into the song. We don't want to dance to the entire song we picked. Quite a few people have asked me if we have a quirky routine like some of you have seen on YouTube. The answer is a resounding "No."

Well, it's noon and I'm still at home knee deep in diapers and cranky toddlers. Ciao!

Time for a countdown...

noreply@blogger.com (Oskar) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:11:00 +0000

Yeah, I know it's nerdy. But look at it another way. it's only ...

Countdown to Maryté and Oskar's wedding!

... or that much time until you don't have to worry about hearing about our wedding plans anymore.

What's running through your head?

noreply@blogger.com (Oskar) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:38:00 +0000

I think I'd be thinking, "I wish Big Bird were here."

On another note, Maryté and I just signed up for dance lessons. This should be ... interesting. At least neither of us have two left feet, but I'll admit, I'm a far cry from "Dancing With the Stars."

Attention Future Brides

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:33:00 +0000

Quick shout out to all my homegirls who just got engaged! Congratulations! Good luck with the planning hahahhaaha! Nah it'll be fine. But check this out. Santa Barbara Bridal is closing. I so wanted to go shopping there back in January when I was searching for my dress. Anyway the store is closing its doors so that means discounts! They are located in 15 W. Figueroa Street in downtown SB. They are having Bridal Sample Sale all this month. So, if you are coming to our wedding, which you should anyway, then you can use the rest of the weekend to go dress shopping. 40-80% off! Vera Wang! Reem Acra. Also, they are offering a free cocktail gown when you purchase your wedding dress.

Happy dress hunting. And no, they have not asked me to promote their business. I wish right?

The bachelor party (Or, what I remember of it)

noreply@blogger.com (Oskar) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:21:00 +0000

The bachelor party was pretty simple: They came, we drank, ate and did guy stuff. The end.

Here's a picture of us at Hooter's on Saturday night. Not pictured is my brother Pablo, the best man, who got hungry before dinner and ate, then went to go hang out with his buddy Ben who was coincidentally in town. This was a fun night. I know because I remember.

Such was not the case on Friday night, when I was determined to drink whatever the guys told me to, and I think I pretty much did until a switch came on in my head that said xXxdrunkxXx...
... the next thing I remembered was waking up in my bed, all the guys in my room talking really loudly about how drunk I was.

And thank God for Pat, for damning me for not having a hangover, despite how apparently trashed I was.

Among the great stories: Chucking a bottle on accident at a security guard. Throwing up within five minutes of entering a strip club. The guys navigating back to the apartment by the light of the stars (I'm three parsnips under Orion's belt).

On Saturday: guns. casinos. hooters. rhino. Lots of fun, not many pictures. I guess that's what a bachelor party should be...

Thanks, fellas!

Update

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:59:00 +0000

Okay so far...
1. Got the cake. Finally! We got two flavors and I hope they are as delicious the day of the day as they were when we had the tasting. We went with Decadence Fine Cakes and Confections after sampling baker Dawn's six most popular cakes and, I'm not going to lie, after being quoted a price that was extremely reasonable. Dawn was also really great at designing what I think will be a fun and different cake out of my whack-a-doo crazy pants ideas and photographs. Cross your fingers it turns out photographable.

2. Found my hairdo lady. Although I realized that I am going to need a lot more product and an emergency ponytail holder in case the coastal moisture makes my hair frizzy throughout the day.

3. FInally, finally tracked down our florist. Oskar and I couldn't get in touch with her for a while. She was never around when Oskar would call, and she didn't send the contract like she said she would. We thought maybe she was trying to dump us by ignoring us but as it turned out, she just had a really really old computer and as we discovered when we went to visit her, she didn't really know how to use it. But the contract is signed, the deposit paid so flowers we shall have.

4. Oskar and I are getting married in the church and because of that we were required to go to "Catholic Engaged Encounters" a seminar for couples. We had the option of going to a one day, all day lecture or a weekend retreat. We went to the three day retreat in Montebello, Ca. I didn't think there were going to be sooo many couples. I envisioned that Oskar and I would be with maybe 6-10 couples at the most. There were 60 couples.
The seminar was led by two couples, one that's been married for 45 years, and the other for 10, as well as a priest, Father Gerry. The women stayed in one dormitory building while the men were housed in another.
The setup was pretty basic: the moderators gave a lecture about a topic. They would talk about their experience as a couple, the conflict they experienced, how they worked through it, and what they learned from it. The priest would then chime in about something spiritual and then we had to write in our journals about our thoughts. Then we would join our partner to talk about what we had written. That was the structure of the whole weekend. At the end of the day we would go to the campus church and celebrate Mass. We didn't really interact that much with other couples because the point of the weekend was to focus on our partner. Oskar was of course disappointed with that because of course, he loves talking to people. We did get to chit chat during meals, (cafeteria food bleh) and met a couple who were from Ventura, Karina and Yovani. She was a former Gaucho (class of 01 ) and he went to Cal Poly SLO.
I felt really tired by the end of the weekend, turning 27 that week didn't help either. We are glad we went though. We got to open up about a lot of topics that we are uncomfortable talking about day to day and saw firsthand that there are still people who aren't so cynical about getting married, much less get married in the Church.

5. Oh! We got our wedding bands. That was fun. It took an hour but I gotta say we were both really happy with the service we got and the rings we left with.

6. When I went to Ventura to get my hair trial I went with my mom and my aunt Norma. On a spur of the moment we decided to go to Santa Barbara. I took them to see San Roque and Cabrillo Pavillion. They were impressed and really happy. My mom was super stoked about the reception hall being right on the beach. We also got to see vendors setting up the room for a wedding that afternoon. A party for 200 is going to be a tight squeeze, but I don't think Oskar and I are going to have to worry about that many guests so we will definitely have a lot more room to spread out.

Lastly I know I have been neglecting my pet blog. The last couple of weeks have been pretty overwhelming and fun in a stressful way. I still have to write about my bridal shower and Oskar said he was going to write about his bachelor party which I am a little skeptical about since he doesn't recall half of it.
Have a good Tuesday party people.

Just cause...

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:42:00 +0000

Oskar dressed up as Ernie once for Halloween.

Music

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:57:00 +0000

Hey party people, Oskar and I are starting to compile songs for the playlist. I was hoping you guys could give us some suggestions. I can't promise we can play all of them but we will certainly give them a listen to. Just one rule: make sure they are pg-13. I can't let the DJ play Tenacious D songs that Oskar wanted to include. And sadly, although it was kind of a party anthem when we were in school, I don't think "Ain't no fun" is appropriate either. I don't know, maybe after a couple of drinks and dinner, people won't mind.

Don't worry...

noreply@blogger.com (Oskar) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:45:00 +0000

... we won't.

California Wildfires

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:17:00 +0000

The latest word from news reports is that officials have ordered a mandatory evacuation of about 5,000 homes in Goleta. The 13 square mile Santa Barbara County fire is 25% contained. If that weren't bad enough, the residents of Big Sur have been under siege for two weeks now. According to CNN more than 100 square miles and 20 homes have been destroyed by the fires. I hope our friends in the counties of Santa Barbara and Monterey are safe and sound and that firefighters get those wildfires under control soon.

The Bachelorette-No Rose Ceremonies

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:57:00 +0000

Carla fulfilled her duties as the Maid of Honor by organizing the bachelorette party a couple weeks ago in Vegas. Most of the girls, 95% weren't able to go but no matter, the show went on as planned. Carla and I began the extravaganza with a 5 hour bus ride from Chinatown to Las Vegas. The bus only turned on the AC when we reached Barstow I think. Once there, the driver made an announcement asking for a tip from each passenger. He didn't even help with the bags! I still need to make that complaint to the company by the way. We got to our stop at the Tropicana where Oskarcito picked us up.
Yen and her boyfriend Jamahal, who came to Vegas to hang out with Oskar while us girls went out to get in trouble, had arrived the night before. Yadda, yadda we went out to eat together and then the real fun began.
This is my favorite part of the trip:
After an unsuccessful attempt to make it to Palazzo's on foot in 4 inch heels, the three of us decided to just go to Pure, (that club where Britney "fell asleep" on New Year's Eve) and stood in the ladies-only line. Carla and I were next to each other and Yen was right behind us. A gang of girls, all looking like Tila Tequila, stood behind Yen. Maybe like 10 minutes after we had been waiting some of them started to get a little fussy and impatient and loud, and began leaning on each other cause they were too drunk to stand without support. Two of the leaners leaned on Yen. The second time I guess they pushed her a little too hard and Yen overheard one of them say to the other, "No, we can't do that, we don't know her."
Yen turned around and said matter-of-factly, "Yeah, you don't know me, that's the second time you pushed me."
Okay, bear with me cause I didn't hear this part exactly but this is what I think transpired.
The less drunk girl apologized to Yen, the other girl was like "What the bleep?"
Then the other girls piped in with gems like "Who does she think she is? You don't have to apologize! Bleep bleep bleep!"
So Yen held her own and told them "Look, you pushed into me more than once, etc."
She's a math teacher people ,she handles teenagers everyday, she ain't intimidated by diddle.
After a few more of the same exchange I pulled Yen in front of me and Carla and I became like human barriers just in case anything were to happen. So one of the girls said to Carla "Hey you know our friend is really drunk, I'm sorry we just want to have fun."
Carla said It's cool we want to have fun too."
We were fine except that the other girls kept inciting the other one saying, "You don't have to say sorry to that bleep. She thinks she's all that." On and on and on.
Finally the pushy girl stepped up and said "Hey if she's looking for trouble I am right here! I can take her!"
I turned around, as did Carla and we basically went off on them. Enough is enough. "Shut the bleep up already! You better back the bleep up! No one is starting anything so shut up!"
Carla started yelling "Security!"
I was like "No! We are going to get kicked out too!"
The less drunk girls got riled up too and cried "No! She's drunk! She doesn't know what she's doing!"
Luckily the bouncer let us in and made them wait behind the velvet rope before things escalated.
We had a good laugh, a nice adrenaline rush and made a toast to our inner cholas!
The rest of the night we didn't so much dance as just hang out and meet people. Oh yeah there was a Pussy Cat Doll performance and then just a lot of pictures with a lot of cute strangers.

The next night the girls and I went to Baba ReBa, a tapas restaurant on the north end of the strip. Afterwards we finally made it to Palazzo's where I wore my "I'm tying the knot, so buy me a shot" veil, complete with shot glasses that made me look like an alcoholic Minnie Mouse. It was cute and fun-a conversation piece.
We went to Excalibur and stood in line for the "Thunder from Down Under" review. Carla, what a trooper, had to deal with stupid tickets people.
There was soo many bachelorette parties going on that weekend. Some groups went all out with matching tank tops and accessories.
Anywho, the show was terrific and a lot of fun. My favorite performance was by one of the Aussies who crawled on the tables out in the audience and poured beer on himself. We got really a sweet booth in the back, but none of the dudes came near us when looking for audience members to come on stage. There was a fake orgasm contest and the infamous towel dance that Oskar had warned me about. How he knew about that, I don't want to know.
Following the pectoral blowout, we headed to Cathouse, or actually, one of the promoters convinced us to go. It's a new club styled after a Victorian bordello. After some courtesy shots, we were approached by a blonde Jenna Jameson girl who asked us if we wanted a VIP table with bottle service. We looked at each other and gave the "It's cool with me" shrug, and followed her to one of the tables. It wasn't for us. It had been reserved by some gentlemen who I guess needed some female revelers to even out the male to female ratio. After some awkward introductions and cocktails we danced some more These guys were computer nerds and traded electric commodities okay so it was a pretty tame bachelorette party compared to some of the ones I saw that night.
We finally got home after the sun went up. Oskar woke up to say good morning and went in for a smooch. He fell back in revulsion after taking a whiff of my hair. It smelled like I dumped an ashtray on my head and combed it through my hair.

Of all my times in Vegas, this was my number one, hands down, favorite experience. Like a great movie, there was drama to be had, a little action and a lot of slapstick.

Thank you Carla and Yen for an awesome time!

A little behind

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:32:00 +0000

Okay so according to Martha Stewart and the wedding industry I was supposed to book a florist waaay back in November. Hahahaha. Whatever. Oskar and I went to Santa Barbara on Friday morning to scope some out. We left pretty early to catch a morning meeting with Lani from Lani B. Production Services-the crew that's going to handle our lighting at Cabrillo. It was a fairly easy meeting to sit through. I showed Lani, who in true Santa Barbara fashion was wearing a pair of flip flops, pictures of what my color scheme was going to be. He said he thought a nice amber color would suit our party. Apparently, amber and peach are flattering colors. Anything to look good in pictures right?

Later on we skulked around State Street. We had some tea and lunch and then walked around in search of flower shops. We walked into a Riley's on Chapala. The store was cute but the lady behind the counter didn't want anything to do with us. She told Oskar that the "designer" wasn't it and to come back some other time. Oookay.

After that underwhelming encounter Oskar and I decided to get out of downtown and go somewhere closer to upper state street near San Roque. We quickly found a couple including Gigi's and White House Flower Shop.

We walked into Gigi's where Doug the florist called up their wedding coordinator and set up a meeting for us in the evening. That's customer service.

Then we went to White House flowers. A spry golden retriever welcomed us in and licked our hands (I think we smelled like the chicken we had for lunch). Laura, the owner was just as friendly (minus the licking of course) showing us some of her wedding binders and asking us questions. She was very attentive and understood what I wanted for the ceremony bringing out flowers that she thought would look nice like peonies, roses and stargazer lilies. I told her that I also like anemones and poppies and she said she would find out if they were available that late in August. Laura has also done flowers for events at San Roque before! Most important, the price she quoted us was right where I wanted it to be. Yes! Oskar and I left the flower shop really really happy.

Later on in the evening we headed back to Gigi's. The coordinator pulled out her notebook and asked me how many people were in the bridal party, who needed corsages, what my colors were. She was convinced we needed two big altar pieces, and two smaller ones. And earlier in the day, when Oskar and I first walked in, Oskar asked the staff how much boutonnieres cost, "Eight dollars," said one of employees.
"Twenty-five dollars," said the coordinator later on during the meeting. Hmmm...
She gave us a quote that was almost three times what White House gave us. Oskar asked her if there was a range of prices and if so, was the number she gave us at the higher end
"I don't like ranges, I don't want to give them," she said. "I think that with ranges, you pick something that's low and you won't end up liking the end product and I won't end up liking it."
Oskar and I just nodded and thinking the exact same thing: "What the hell is this chick talking about?"

I think businesses just hear the word wedding and they automatically think "cha-ching." Unbelievable. I am still waiting back to hear some quotes. Hopefully they will send them to me this week cause I really don't want to think about flowers anymore. But if all goes well, I think Oskar and I will have simple and elegant arrangements we can be happy with. Of course Oskar would probably be happy with fake aquarium plants.

Don't Give Up On Me!

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:58:00 +0000

I swear to God I'll write more often. It's not like I'm busy or anything right? Well actually, last, last weekend was my "staglette" weekend. That's what this Canuck I met at Cathouse in Vegas called it. So crazy, so memorable. Don't fret dear readers (all three of you) I will reveal the good parts next week. I'll tell you everything else that happened off the record.
So invitations were sent out two Thursdays ago and last week. I had to send them out in batches cause it's only me addressing them baby. I hope you guys liked them. It wouldn't have been possible without good ol' Illustrator. Don't forget to send those RSVP's in. Thank you to those who have!
Last weekend Oskar and I headed to Santa Barbara to talk to the lighting guy and florists. Fun times. My mom decided to wear a zinnia in her corsage. Yeah, see, this is why I haven't posted anything cause nothing new has happened.

Oh! That's not completely true. So, a couple weeks ago I started looking at projects to do for the reception. I found this really cute craft thing that I am not going to give away. But my friend Cladia Guzman saw a sample I made and asked me to show her how to do it, which I did. And then suddenly she took over the project which I am not complaining about because hello! She's a total lifesaver. You'll see her handiwork on your reception table. She is my Martita Stewart. ¡Gracias Claudia!
Lastly before this glass of wine finally puts me to sleep (Kenneth Volk, Negrette) I went to my bridal salon to pay the remaining balance of my dress. And I got to try it on again. I wasn't going to because I was all gross from the LA heat and chasing after two year olds, but Roza, the owner, wouldn't hear of it. "Don't you want to see it?" she asked.
"Okay," I mumbled, embarrassed at my un-bridal behavior.
"More pouffy?" asked one of the staff when I put on the petticoat.
"No thank you." I said putting on a sweater feeling a little too cold with just my underwear on. I felt like I was at the doctor's office.
A little while later another girl came with a plastic bag, the contents of which looked like a folded up comforter. "What is that?" I asked.
She took it out without answering and I realized it was my dress.
Giving me a once over as I took off my sweater she asked,
"more pouffy?"
"No, it's okay."
Seriously no more crinoline people!
I swear putting on that dress is a two man operation. She held on to the bodice over her head and said "Come on honey."
I dove in with my arms extended over my head and dug through fabric until I saw the other opening.
"Okay get on the platform," she commanded.
I stood on the wooden mini-stage and took a deep breath in. Unlike the first time I came to the salon and tried on the dress, this time I was all alone. I didn't want anyone else to give their opinion. I wanted to make sure that I had made the right choice.
The girl who helped me put on the dress, was the same one who had helped me try on those five or six the very first time I went there. "Oh my god it fits perfect," she said.
And it did. Okay so there's like four inches of extra bust, but everything else fit like a glove.
"I'll leave you alone so you can enjoy."
And there I was all by myself. I think I even talked to myself at one point. When I turned around to look at my reflection from a different angle, I noticed the door was open. "Whoops!" I thought.
I gotta tell you, I love it. So sparkly when it catches the light. It's the most extravagant outfit I've ever worn. The train is even longer than I remember it. Bridesmaids take note! One of you will have to come with me for my last fitting when they show me how to bustle up the train. That way you will know how to do it for the reception. Bring a notebook or a video camera if you need to.
Anywho, the chick came back in and asked me if everything was okay and if I was going to take it. "For sure," I said.
I wondered how many brides came to the salon and found something wrong with their dress. How many of them refuse to pay the rest of the deposit? What do they do? I should have asked. But I ain't the reporter of the family.

So Norma asked me why I didn't bring the dress home with me. I could have, the staff asked me if I wanted to. But I know the temptation would be too great to try the dress on again and again. I really am afraid of messing it up. Plus if it gets lost at the store, I'm pretty sure I could get another one on them right?

One last item before I head out. The wedding planning has taken it's toll on me. I'm stressed out. I feel almost Britney-esque. I start babbling in a cockney accent and wander around barefoot. Anyway, last Thursday I went to the gym to let off some steam. As I walked back to my car I double checked my belongings to make sure I had everything. Everything looked fine but I had a nagging feeling I forgot something.
Flash forward five hours later. I went to my room to make my bed and put some stuff away cause it's been taken over by bridal magazines and invitations. "Wait a minute!" I looked at the things on my bed that a couple hours earlier I had with me at the gym. My driver's license, my ATM card and my gym card were missing. I tore through my clothes, my purse, my bed, my hair, the car-nada. So I called the gym and whew! Someone had gallantly turned in my stuff to the front desk. This only happened to me once before in college when I went out partying and wandered back home and decided to have a smoke in the parking lot but first thought it would be okay to dump out my purse in search for a light. I left my I.D. and ATM card in the parking lot. I freaked out the next morning and went outside to retrace my step. Sure enough there they were right next to a couple used matches.

76 days to go...

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:07:00 +0000

Oh my God!!! No puede ser...

So much stuff to do...Okay.

Still need to:

1. Order the cake (Molly gave me some excellent ideas which I didn't write down! Will definitely ask her again!)

2. Go to SB to see the florist about bouquets and altar decorations! Not to worry ladies! Worse case scenario, I'll head to the nearest supermarket and buy us some bouquets to-go.

3. Get fitted. Hmmm. Have been avoiding this cause as you know I'm trying to deflate. Am down 10 pounds! Still have some work to do though.

4. Send out the invitations! Oskar is sending them to me ASAP! He better be. So they are going out next week fo sho.

5. Oh my gosh! Need to go to SB to talk to hair stylists! I got some quotes for makeup and hair stylists who make house calls. Yeah. Still haven't been able to find that tree that grows money so my makeup artist is going to be my two Kevin Aucoin coffee table books and my skilled, steady hand.

6. Okay, buy wedding rings.

7. Make the favors!

8. oh my god! booze!

Progress: Instead of forking over an obscene amount of money for something I will only use for and two hours tops, I headed to the local fabric store and bought some tulle! Yup, Norma, my Godmother, is going to "help" me make a veil. So far my veil looks like this:

But hopefully with a little effort, it'll look like this!

Lastly, I am trying to come up with a decent playlist for the DJ, although I'm sure he is already aware of the "in" songs out there. But I don't really listen to the radio so I don't really know what's hip nowadays. Feel free to email songs that you think will be fun to play and dance to.

I see your ABBA

noreply@blogger.com (Oskar) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:09:00 +0000

... and it reminds me of this scene from NBC's The Office. Enjoy.

Pushing past the last plateau

noreply@blogger.com (Oskar) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:18:00 +0000

I've always struggled with my weight. I probably always will.

It's weird, because on one hand, I don't particularly want to focus on it. I've never wanted to make a big deal out of my weight, because I don't think that it's a defining characteristic in people.

The problem with that is that for me -- a person who has a pretty big appetite and a bit of a lazy attitude when it comes to exercising (that's a little harsh but it's not far from being 100 percent true) -- applying that "no big deal" attitude let me balloon up from chubs to seriously overweight. I can't even look. But you can.

This photo's a little forgiving, but it was taken in late July 2004, right after I graduated college and a few months before I hit a peak weight of 237 pounds.

(If you've heard me complain about this before, skip to after the ellipsis below. That's where the real meat of this post is anyway. This middle part is just background.)

I was always hovering around 220 pounds during college. I ate like shit, exercised only by biking to class, playing intramural sports and walking around town, and I rarely turned down a chance at drinking a beer.

Honestly, I don't think that all these things made me a bad person: I was just having fun and carefree in college, I didn't have the outwardly destructive tendencies that some others had when they were thrust into all that freedom. I was pretty much a happy-go-lucky dude who was simply fat.

Things got worse in grad school, because the work intensified and I completely ignored my body. When it finally hit me that I had to reign in my horrendous eating habits and lose a lot weight, it really sucked to confront the fact that I had let myself go.

But it worked.

I gave up soda, mayonnaise and a lot of the goodies that I'd afforded myself liberally through the years. I worked out (fiendishly for me, an acceptable amount for others). The weight started coming off.

But as anyone who's tried to lose weight will tell you, plateaus are the WORST. That's when you work just as hard as you've always worked but the weight seems to no longer come off. For me, those magical plateau numbers were at 220, 200, 190 and 170. I blasted through 220 with slightly more work, through 200 with a fluke virus that caused me to drop 10 pounds in 2 days and 190 by simply picking it up.

...

I haven't gotten past 170, and I've never been more frustrated with this weight loss thing than I have been this year. Before, people were really supportive of my weight loss goals. Now, most think I'm fine.

I appreciate the compliments, but I want to be in good shape, not in good enough shape. That's why this past week I did something some might consider extreme: I joined a boot camp.

Boot Camp Las Vegas is certainly the strangest exercise program I've ever been a part of.

I joined on Tuesday, running day, which involved running three miles around a track, windsprints and stairs, all with just brief moments of stopping. Wednesday was legs day, which I thought was weird after running day. It involved me doing a buttload of lunges, squats and insane exercises for my legs that were already a little sore from the day before. Yesterday, arms and upper body.

Today, I climbed a mini-mountain. I'll get exact figures on Monday, but it was higher than the peak that holds the air towers for Las Vegas' TV stations. It was all loose rocks and desert terrain. I'm scared of heights, but I couldn't think about it at all and at one point it became less about getting a workout than about getting up and down the damn thing without getting myself killed or falling on my ass too much.

When I got up to the peak, I realized that this is what working out and fitness is really about: pushing yourself to do things that you normally wouldn't even think of and also to work harder than you've ever worked before.

The girl who started Boot Camp LV is pretty inspiring. At about 5-foot-3 and about 120 pounds, she doesn't seem to have any fat on her body whatsoever. That wasn't the case two years ago, when she was 180 pounds.

Julie brings out the best in her class, not by being nice to them, but by being a living example of what she believes and therefore brings to others. When I talk to her, I believe she's able to help me and push me to do something that I've struggled with for years.

Today, when I got down the mountain (I was one of just a handful that went all the way to the top because it was an extra long session, about 1:20 total), I was talking to Julie and I let it slip that I didn't have to work today since I have Fridays and Saturdays off. She said, "Nice, you should come back out at 9:30 or 6!"

The rule is you can double, triple or quad up each day on classes without paying extra.

This morning I didn't think I could climb a mountain at all. In about an hour, I'm going to find out if I can do it twice.

Watch an oversimplified version of what I'm doing here: Fox 5 news story

Wish me luck. Sure, this is about the wedding, but Maryté and I are going to do this after we get married too. Because fitness isn't a pursuit for one day, it's about changing your lifestyle.

Una pausa y volvemos...

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:32:00 +0000

I just needed a little mental break from wedding planning. Plus, ABBA is awesome. This song has been in my head all week.

My toes hurt already.

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:08:00 +0000

I'm not a shoe whore- I don't go nuts about shoes like Carrie Bradshaw. I'm more of a purse girl myself (sigh, Hermès). But my grandma used to say that a pair of shoes "de buena calidad" can make any outfit look like a million bucks.

For day to day I prefer flip flops, which is a habit I couldn't shake after leaving UCSB. I am pretty clueless when it comes to buying nice shoes though and it makes the shopping experience less than enjoyable. Now I don't really feel cool admitting this, but in the hopes of getting some input, here goes: After about an hour of wearing one of these puppies, my feet get all swollen. That's why I HATE strappy shoes. Sure they are sexy, but not when my wide ol' feet are squeezing out between the straps. So, when buying shoes for the wedding, when I'm going to be on my feet most of the evening, saying hi to guests, dancing, posing, etc., is it wise to buy half a size bigger? Should I get another emergency pair? Can I get away with wearing a shoe that doesn't match my ivory gown like say a pair that's green or pink? Ahhh!

First Row: Chinese Laundry, Chinese Laundry, David's Bridal, Nine West

Second Row: Chinese Laundry, Marc Fisher, Nine West, Guess

Third Row: BP., Nina, Vaneli, Matisse (my fave so far)

Last Row: Nine West, Marc Fisher, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik

The Wedding: A Scientific Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Nice job to the folks at A Practical Wedding.

Then vs. Now

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

In "Something Old Something New," Betsy Towner compares the average wedding of 1958 to those held in 2008 and looks at the way weddings have changed in the last 50 years.
Some intriguing facts:

The Bride:

The most common name then: Mary

The most common name now: Jennifer

The stereotype then: Blushing Bride

The stereotype now: Bridezilla

The gown then: Princess lace handmade by Belgian nuns $135

The gown now: Strapless and sexy $1317

The average age then: 20

The average age now: 26

The Groom:

The most common name then: Robert

The most common name now: Michael

The tuxedo rental then: $5.50

The tuxedo rental now: $69.95

The average age then: 22

The average now: 28

The Reception:

The first dance then: "All I Have to Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers

The first dance now: "No One" Alicia Keys (Really?)

Party song then: "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors

Party song now: "4 minutes" Madonna w/Justin Timberlake

The trendy gift then: CorningWare casserole $12.95

The trendy gift now: Nintendo Wii $399

The Expense:

Postage for invitations then: 3-4 cents

Postage for invitations now: 42 cents

Piece of cake per Guest then: 35 cents

Piece of cake per Guest now: $4.52

Marriage License then: $1

Marriage License now (Santa Barbara): $75

The Escape

The honeymoon then: Niagara Falls

The honeymoon now: Hawaii

The getaway car then: Chevy Impala convertible $2,700

The getaway car now: Toyota Camry $18,570

The honeymoon cost then: $237

The honeymoon cost now: $3,680

Gallon of gas then: 30 cents

Gallon of gas now: $3.80

The Future:

Divorce rate then: 33%

Divorce rate now: 50%

Number of kids then: 3.6

Number of children now: 2.1

Zero minutes of fame.

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Oh well. I was so close to starring in my own wedding reality show but the dream is still a dream. Normally I wouldn't want to be on TV. I even hate taking pictures. However, I came across a casting call that would have solved all of my wedding planning woes. Not that I have that many. It hasn't been a hair-pulling experience yet. The announcement, in bold, read: "LET CELEBRITY WEDDING PLANNER DAVID TUTERA ENHANCE YOUR WEDDING ON WE TV!"
David Tutera is this Colin Cowie type event planner who recently partnered up with Disney to create the Disney Fairy Tale Wedding package. I certainly wouldn't mind having a wedding planner (any wedding planner) much less this quasi-celebrity planner create a beautiful reception that only the super rich or famous can afford. Of course, without Mickey and Minnie making a cameo appearance.
Well like I said, Oskar and I seemed to meet the requirements for the reality show. The producers wanted couples that were getting married this summer. Check. They want couples who have spent months planning the wedding. Check. And they want want couples who feel that something "STILL isn't quite right." Of course, check!
"Contact our producers today," I read. "Okay, I will," I thought.
Then I read: "Weddings should take place within an hour of New York City in July or August, 2008!"
Damn it! I only got a C in physics so I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to position a wormhole between Manhattan and Santa Barbara cause that's the only way I'd be able to have Tutera throw me a bone.
Well, there is always the "Newlywed Game" right?

Just so y'all know

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:22:00 +0000

I called this blog "Boda de mis sueños" because of this show that my family was obsessed with last year called "Bailando por la boda de mis sueños." Imagine "Dancing with the Stars" except for the fact that a Latino celebrity is paired with either a bride or groom. The winner of the competition obviously wins the wedding of their dreams. My mom told me I should compete. Yeah.
Anyway I would dance for a prize if I had any rhythm. Sadly, I have one or two stock moves that includes a lot of hair swishing but that's about it. Hmmm....that reminds me-Oskar and I need to practice for the first dance. Eeek! Have any of you seen Oskar dance? It's all shoulders.

Here's a little clip of my blog's namesake, in all it's fringed glory. I tried to do the quebradita once. Just once.

June Gloom

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:06:00 +0000

I have been trying my damnedest not be the dreaded "bridezilla" but it happened. And actually, now that I give it some
thought, I think I have been one for a quite some time, on the DL of course. Furthermore, these moments of anger and
frustration, the times that I have regressed to the three year old throwing a tantrum at the Toys-R-Us have been aimed
primarily at this guy I know with dark hair and an auburn beard.

I do feel pangs of guilt as I sit and watch my "Platinum
Wedding" and "Bridezilla" marathon and realize how quickly a ritual that is supposed to be an occasion celebrating the couple's
promise to step into an unknown and perilous future together can turn into an over-the-top, gratuitous display of autolatry.
can understand why this occurs as well.

For many of us, the opportunities we have to express ourselves creatively
are rare or hard to do. Even more unusual are the times when we receive the type of adoration and awe that is freely showered
upon celebrities, sometimes for simply buying a latte at the local Starbucks. As a result, the smaller aspects of the wedding
like the seating arrangements or the type of centerpieces, can become points of contention. Everything must be perfect,
because the wedding is like the Oscar's we will probably never attend.

I don't want to lose sight of what is
important. With only 16 weeks to go (yikes!) it's so tempting to exceed the budget and go glitz crazy. But, then again, no one is
really going to remember what the hell the table looked like or what kind of flowers I carried down the aisle. What people are
going to talk about later is how long they think the marriage is going to last or whether or not we make a good
couple.

I don't think I have been acting as horribly as some of the women depicted on the shows though. I
wouldn't "fire" my bridesmaids for not going to the bachelorette party or bridal shower. I wouldn't ban my mother-in-law from
the festivities simply because she didn't like me. I WOULD snub someone I held a grudge against even if Oskar got along with
them fine-that's pretty bridezilla-ish. Bad Maryté! Bad!

Okay, you know how in the third or fourth post I said
needed to lose twenty pounds? Yeah add a couple more pounds to that. Now I'm freaking out.

Get your room!

noreply@blogger.com (maritecita) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:02:00 +0000

I don't know about you guys but I just booked my motel room for the weekend of the wedding, aka Labor Day weekend. That's right, a MOTEL. It's cool, I figured I would have to stay at a Motel 6-ish place which incidentally, is going at $116/night for the weekend of August 29. Sure it's not the Biltmore but the room I got is non-smoking and it's a block from San Roque. If you guys can afford a $600 setback for 3 nights then I definitely recommend the Holiday Inn Express-not the one on Haley Street because it's all booked that weekend-the one on Calle Real. It's only 11 minutes from the church. The last couple times Oskar and I have gone to SB, we have stayed at the Express on Haley and it's pretty nice and roomy so I expect the Calle Real one to be of the same quality.

I feel a lot better now that I have this out of the way. I was avoiding booking a room because I just didn't want to look at the prices. It's really now or never though because I'm betting the prices are only going to get higher.

If you guys need any help figuring out where to book let me know!