Last week's overview

After an extremely busy week I finally have time to write again. I needed to vent so much this past week and I had no time to do a blog entry.

Monday was my birthday. My long-waited 29th year of life. What can I say... I'm getting old and it is not only the wrinkles that I see around my eyes but also my attitude towards celebrating it!!! I guess it was about time... My celebration was nothing fancy: dinner and cake with family. However, the dinner was my mom's home made lasagna and my cake was THE cake that I had every year as a kid made by my sister. What else can I ask for? 2 lovely birthday cards and my new iPhone 4 were the gifts from my fiance. My parents got me earrings from my favorite place in Colombia, my sisters gave me money and clothes (and the cake). My cousin gave me more clothes!! can't have enough!! My friends got me hello kitty things! and I received over 100 messages in facebook! Getting old hurts a lot less when the people you love get together to wish you the best in life.

After the nice celebration of course I had to face reality: a project deadline on Wednesday. We didn't finish on time! (not surprised about this at all)  It turned out to be last night, FRIDAY night, when we finished it at 11:00 PM. What a week!!!! every day from Tuesday to Thursday I was in the office for 12 hrs and yesterday 15 hrs!!! and I'm supposed to work half day on Friday!!! Too bad I don't get paid for over time because I would be collecting a nice bonus from this week only!!! Next week is not looking any different. I can't wait for my 2 weeks off in December!!! tic toc... Tonight are all the Halloween parties and normally I would have my costume ready, but this year I only feel like staying in and watch movies. I'm exhausted!!

How much is too much for wedding pictures??

Sooo, I found the photographer I want for our wedding... The problem is: I can't afford her!!! I really felt like crying last night when I told her NO :((

This is her website:
http://www.kylehepp.com


She is doing my friend Andi's wedding next year. She also did a boudoir session for Andi and it is absolutely amazing!!!! I will definitely hire her for that!!! This is a sample of the boudoir session
http://www.kylehepp.com/2010/10/boudoir-session-at-the-w-santiago-andi/

If you have a budget for your wedding PLEASE hire her!! she is an amazing photographer and a sweet girl.  Now I am going to have the hardest time finding a photographer I like for my wedding :((

wedding inspiration

Most of the pictures I'm using for this post come from http://www.theknot.com/ and http://www.stylemepretty.com/. These 2 websites have the most amazing weddings I've seen.  I also found a couple of colombian weddings and a great photographer. I contacted them but I haven't heard from them... This is a sample of their work: 

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/07/10/perfect-wedding-in-columbia-ii/

http://efeunodos.com/

I dont want bridesmaids dressed as band members. I dont know if I want to have bridemaids but at least my 2 sisters need to be by my side :))

This is one of my favorite flowers!!! 

This is something we do in Colombia. Dancers dresses for carnival come to the party and get everyone off their tables to dance. Hats and masks are given to guests to be silly

samples of different bridemaids dresses

I love this idea but Im not sure I can find those antique typewriters

Badgley Mischa Shoe. This is THE shoe but I dont know what color. I love those pictures above with the purple shoes under the white gown... 

Same Shoe in White. I dont like white shoes but they are beautiful.

Badgley Mischa in red

This is the dress of my dreams but I cant afford Monique Lhuillier. Plus I need something lighter for an outdoor wedding. Still love the details in the top- sweetheart neck, and the roses in the dress. . 

Wedding stuff...

Finally we decided on a venue for the wedding. It is a nice hacienda outside of Cali. They grow their own orchids and the place is surrounded by flowers everywhere. We have a tentative date but it is not 100% sure. I will visit the place in 2 months in my next trip to Cali. This is in Cali, Colombia not California.

Shark in Sunset Beach, FL

Last saturday, around 5:00pm in St Pete Beach a fisherman got this out of the water. We almost had a heart attack when we saw a shark coming out of the same water where we had pleasently spent the afternoon in.

This is the first time that I see a shark (outside of an aquarium)!!!!!!  The shark was released back into the water!! I was shocked to see people getting back in the water moments after this event. I'm sure he ran away from here but how many more are there out there???

Shark in Sunset Beach, Fl

Highlight of the month: Shakira's concert

This concert was amazing!! not only I was siting close to the stage (5th row) but the whole concert was better than I expected. She sang many of the old songs and of course Waka Waka was the last song of the night. I wasn't sure that Shakira deserved to spend the money for floor tickets and she was totally worth it. The concert was on a Tuesday night in Orlando (I live in Tampa and work @ 8:00am) , I had a terrible cold and it only got worse after a full night of singing, but it was really good!! I'm very proud to be colombian and I love that she is giving a better reputation to my Country!

from one of my favorite websites: www.dailyom.com

Every morning I check my email before going to work. I love to find the wise words from one of my favorite websites. Usually, (and I love coincidences) they reflect what I feel or how I felt not long before. One of the reasons I created this blog is because I don't want to bore my friends with my issues. They are always the same: work, weight, travel plans, saving for my next trip, and now wedding planning. I created the blog last night, and this morning I received this inspiration as they call their daily articles. I could have a blog with my favorite readings from this website.

October 12, 2010
Sharing the Full Story
Calling on Friends


If we leave our friends out of our process when the going gets tough, our friendships can begin to feel shallow.

When we are going through a difficult time, we may hesitate to call even our best friends because we don't want to burden them with our troubles. This can be especially true if we've been going through a series of challenges, and we're starting to feel as if we sound like a broken record. It is important to remember that at times like these our friends sincerely want to be there for us whenever they can. We can always check with them to make sure it's a good time for them before we start talking, and if it's not a good time, we can call back at another time, or call another friend. We know for ourselves that when we have a good friend, we don’t want them to suffer alone when we are just a phone call away. We want them to call us and share their sorrows with us, as well as their joys, because this is what sharing a life through friendship is about. It is at our lowest points that we really need to rely on our friends without worrying that we are a burden. If you are feeling self-conscious about having a tough time, you can bring this fact into the conversation by acknowledging it. Chances are your friend will reassure you that she is happy to be there for you. In fact, rather than feeling taxed, most of us feel better when we have helped a friend simply by listening empathically while they share their feelings. Without our friends, we would be hard pressed to get through the tough times and celebrate the good ones. If we leave our friends out of our process when the going gets tough, our friendships can begin to feel shallow. On the other hand, when we include our friends in the full story of our life—the good, the bad, and the ugly—we build authentic relationships in which we can be who we truly are. When we do this, we invite our friends to bring their whole selves to the relationship as well.

www.dailyom.com

my inspiration for the day

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them."

Author: Mark Twain

This quote is what best describes my relationship with my fiance. We share a passion for traveling and it doesn't mean that we want to go to the same places. At the end, I want to go everywhere in the world. Maybe not everywhere but at least to all the continents. I am sure that I want to marry him because after a 20 day trip to Europe I knew we were either hate each other or come back with a stronger relationship. Two months after we returned, we decided to live together and he proposed that same week. 

This blog is just a way for me to share what's on my mind. I was so used to traveling alone or with friends that I thought it was going to be difficult to plan a life with someone else. It has been great so far and I am very excited to plan our wedding next year. Before, I didn't have any responsibilities and all of my earning were for planning my next trip. Now, I have to save for a wedding, pay rent, and still have enough left to plan our honeymoon and my 30th birthday travel. I am turning 29 in 2 weeks and I am determined that I need a "before I turn 30" bucket list. Please feel free to leave comments in my posts.