This is why I don't start things.

Day Nine: Uhhhhhh...

I didn't forget about my Photo-A-Day project.  Au contraire, mon ami.  My camera is broken.  Every picture I take is all blurry and out of focus.  And not in a cool, washed-out, Instagram, make-something-new-look-old kind of way.  But in a, "is that a picture of the cat, or a washing machine" kind of way.

This will not do.

Day Four: A Stranger

A stranger for that night, at least.  This is Rocco Scarfazzi.  He's dreamy, but has a pretty horrible Italian accent.  And may or may not be a murderer.

 Day Five: 10AM

This one is pretty self explanatory.  10AM is a pretty boring hour for me.

Day Six: Dinner

Steak with drunken mushrooms and roasted blue cheese potatoes.  Hell to the yes. 

Day Seven: Button

Cutest button nose on the planet!  (I didn't come up with that one on my own.  In fact, I spent all day looking for a random button to photograph and thought about asking strangers, but it sounded creepy in my head.  Luckily someone came to the rescue with this idea, and probably saved me from the sex offender registry.  Thanks!)

Day Eight: Sun

This was a tough one since the sun isn't always cooperative during Chicago winter.  This is the view from my office window.  We call this area "The Killing Fields."  Really scenic, lovely stuff.

Day Three: Hands

Matt has the flu, so we're staying in tonight and watching old West Wing episodes.  When we first started dating, we spent weeks watching every episode of West Wing, one by one, so it holds a special place in my heart.  I racked my brain trying to think of a way to incorporate it into the wedding, until I realized that the entire reception is really just one big walk and talk anyway.  Done!  Wedding checklist, be damned!

Day Two: Words

I finished this book at work today.  I know everyone loves it.  But, if The Secret and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People got together and had too much to drink and produced a fictional love-child, I think this would be it.  (In full disclosure, I've never read either of those books.  And probably never will).  Not my favorite read.  But most of my other "words" today were in the form of me yelling on the phone.  And try as I may, I couldn't figure out how to get a picture of that.  At least not one where I didn't have a double chin.

I'M BACK! And armed with my crummy phone camera!

I recently decided that I needed a little motivation to start blogging regularly again (although maybe I'm fooling myself to think I ever blogged regularly).  Then I saw this:

 It's a Photo A Day challenge.  And I'm all over it.

And so, without further ado, I present to you:

Day One: Your View Today

Damn.  That is a lackluster start.  To be fair, I'm the one who told my boss that we needed more storage.  So she bought us three of these giant filing cabinets.  And then filled our tiny office with them.  Be careful what you wish for, folks.

Ladies, if you love your man, show him you the fliest.

Five years ago today I made one of the best decisions ever.  I told Matt that I would no longer make-out with him unless we were Officially Boyfriend-Girlfriend.

Lucky for me, he was ok with that.  Happy anniversary, babe!

And in honor of this day, I present you with this video that I love (even though I totally think she pretended to give birth this week).  FACT:  I saw Beyoncé open a concert for Boyz II Men long before she was cool.

I can't get enough of parents being mean to their kids!

In case you forgot what I look like in my extended absence...

...I present you with...our engagement pictures!  Oh, man.  Standing in an abandoned parking lot in a dress when it's freezing cold and making out is something you only do for engagement pictures. 

I promise to be back soon.  With pictures of my first successful craft.  Ever.

Things I loved this week:

1. Open Letter to that 53% Guy

2. I would tell my younger self not to take myself so seriously.   And to dump several boyfriends.

3. Here's to finding someone who makes you laugh.

4. You sneaky Mom!  The two kids at the end are friggin' awesome.

Happy weekend!  We're going to our favorite karaoke bar tonight!  I've been thinking all week about my song selections and I think I've crafted the perfect list.  It includes Mariah Carey and Phil Collins, with a little Disney thrown in for good measure.  When will my talent be discovered so I can quit this silly day job and give the people what they want?

August 11, 2012. Be there or be square.

Consider this your unofficial Save the Date (except for YOU, random blog-lurker from Germany!).  

 

So far we have a big empty room and two cases of wine.  Using my best math skills, I figure that means we can each have half of a glass.  But I really hate math, so don't quote me on that.  In fact, whenever I'm interviewing kids for work and they tell me that math is their favorite subject, I tell them that math is dumb and they should get a different favorite subject.  TAKE THAT, MR. DAWSON.  (Mr. Dawson was my high school geometry teacher and based on my inability to grasp basic math concepts, I don't think he expected me to make much of myself.  I'm getting back at him by ruining math for a whole new generation.)

 

Point is, don't come up to me at the wedding demanding your half of a glass of wine.  I COULD BE WRONG. 

 

Izzy has 315 days to learn how to carry our rings down the aisle.

Turns out, I had to go all the way to Paris to find out that I don't really like macarons!

 

 

That was a shocker!  I was so convinced I'd love them that I insisted we buy a whole box from a pâtisserie (I have no idea what that thing above the "a" is.  You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl).  I was just so sure I'd want a whole box of them!

 

I tried all the flavors and then we threw them away.  Macarons are yucky.

 

And that was the most surprising thing that happened while we were away.

 

The end.

 

Sike!

 

There was also this:

My favorite part of this picture is Matt's surprised face.  I can't decide if it's like, "Whoa, where did she get that ring?" Probably more like, "OMG, what have I done?"

Anyway, I'm sure this came as no surprise to any of you, as I was pretty adamant about notifying people so that they didn't find out via Facebook.  Although I hope my ex-boyfriends found out on Facebook.  And then went to bed and cried. 

In all seriousness, we're very excited.  And Matt's somehow under the impression that being engaged "gives him more freedom."  Which is hilariously adorable.  So we're off to a good start.


XOXOXO

Risking our lives to save a buck ($1200 bucks, actually).

Iron Maiden Singer To Pilot Iceland Express Flights

"Bruce Dickinson, perhaps best known as the lead singer of classic heavy metal band Iron Maiden, will be piloting some Iceland Express flights.

The National Post reports that the flights would be between Winnipeg and Reykjavík, on board a specially-marked plane known as "Ed Force One", named after Eddie, Iron Maiden's mascot.

For those concerned about the expertise of the singer to pilot a Boeing 757, it should be noted that Dickinson has logged over 7,000 flight hours of commercial aircraft, and took part in flying 200 U.K. citizens home from Lebanon during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict. He also flew some Iceland Express flights in 2008.

In an e-mail response to the National Post, Dickinson said, "I never intended to become a professional pilot, but as I became more curious about aircraft, and, well, not being John Travolta, I realized that the only way I was ever going to fly a jet was if I got a job!"

Iceland Express is not saying if Dickinson will be piloting the inaugural flight between Reykjavík and Winnipeg, but it did say that he will also be behind the wheel of some flights between the Icelandic capital and Boston and Chicago."

Godspeed.

Holy Christ, it's a piece of paper!

To round out our July of weddings, we hit up Cleveland, to see our friends Jeff and Sarah get hitched.  We had a great time and...get this...they had a photo booth.  It's like they knew I was coming.  I mean, I guess technically, they did, since I RSVP'd and all.  But still.  Congrats, you two!

Then I went home for my Dad's 60th birthday.  We ate and drank and hiked and swam and ate and drank more.

The following weekend, we headed to MI, where we biked in Tour des Lac for 36 miles!  Luckily there was ice cream and pizza and beer, so we were ok.  And Matt and I didn't even kill each other (despite the fact that I sang this for most of the way).

And in just six days, we leave for Europe.  If something tragic happens on Iceland Express airways, I want to make it clear that I don't want all of you to fight over who gets to raise Izzy.  She has enough love to share with all of you!

And I don't own a single polo.

My undergrad college was in HuffPo yesterday for being one of the "Preppiest Schools of 2011."

Over the weekend I met a fellow MU alum.  He and I got into a debate with some Michigan State grads about who had the prettier campus (MU, no contest).  WHAT A TOTAL FIRST WORLD DISCUSSION! 

So, see, I didn't need HuffPo to tell me MU was a preppy school.  All I needed was to remember that I got into a heated argument on the dance floor of a wedding about who had the nicer quad to throw up on to know that it was a pretty preppy school.

We do weddings real good.

Charlie and Lauren's was a blast and was incredibly beautiful.  Although I'm not sure how I know that, since I spent most of the night in the photobooth.

No joke.

What is that you say?  There are other people at this wedding who would like to use this photobooth?

Tough.  I haven't seen enough of myself yet.

One of my Thirty Before Thirty goals was to give up TV for a month.  In theory, this shouldn't be hard.  We didn't have cable when I was growing up, I don't remember watching a lot of TV in college, and when I moved to the city I just had bunny ears, which don't really work in Chicago.

 

Then I moved in with Matt.  Who loves TV unabashedly.  He frequently says very sweet things to me that I discover months later are direct quotes from Friends episodes (Do you think we're Ross and Rachel, or Monica and Chandler?  Probably Monica and Ross).  And before I knew it, I was making up for lost time, watching anything and everything.  Sometimes twice.  There was so much I had missed out on! 

 

So it's day 5.  And last night we had a 20 minute conversation about whether I should get an electric toothbrush.  Because that's the kind of shit you talk about when you're forced to do nothing but interact all the time.  And luckily we didn't come to any conclusions, so we still have something to talk about for the next 25 days. 

 

God help us.

I was never this good at cheerleading.

Happy Fourth of July!

Goosebumps, I tell you!

When they opened up the doors to the chapel and Jaime stood there with her parents, sunlight streaming in behind her, a lifetime of love and happiness ahead of her, I got goosebumps.

And they remained for most of the night.

Congrats, my love!  See you in eleven days!

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Dad,
Mom and I spent Father's Day weekend spending your money eating and shopping, leaving you to do whatever it is you do when we're not around.  And I think that's exactly how you would prefer it.  You will not be so lucky next month for your birthday. 

All my love,
Nikki

P.S. Thank you for putting up with us!  You're the best!