Modern Wedding Etiquette

Last week my wedding planner extraordinaire asked me to guest blog on her new wedding etiquette blog. How could I say no? I love weddings. I loved my wedding. So click on this link to check out my entry on the modern wedding etiquette on family heirlooms and traditions. And if any one in the South Florida area is getting married or know someone who is, don't do it without Nicole Kaney by your side!

Brought back to reality, thanks to Kate Spade ...

So the title might be a little confusing .. how does retail bring you back to reality? I mean, typically I turn to retail to escape reality? Let me explain ... As I mentioned in my last post, I disappeared into the whirling vortex of Teach For America training for the summer. Some people probably found the time to blog, I however spent any of my free time (which was only on the weekends if there was any ... ) with my husband.

Most of the summer training was down in Houston, but once we got back to Dallas we had a bit more stuff to do. Now that we are finishing up most of our TFA summer training, we are in our Dallas ISD summer training ... all of these things are valuable of course, but the time I am spending planning my first unit plus, getting everything ready for my students (all 150 of whom enter my classroom in a little over two weeks) plus the actual time spent training during the day has been quite a lot!

As someone who tends to obsess over things anyways, this environment has been insane and I find myself getting worked up. Sooooooo ... when I got an invitation in the mail to a 'Sips and Snacks' party at Kate Spade (plus discounts for Slipper Club), I decided to jump on it. I knew I needed to break out of my work zone and do something fun. I called my dear friend (and new bride-to-be ESS) to have some pre-shopping chat time at La Duni and it was just what I needed! Followed with some more girl time and 20% off at Kate Spade - I was feeling really positive. I swiped up these earrings and called it a night.

But this isn't where Mrs. Spade saved me ... As I pulled up to home-sweet-home, with a full night of work ahead of me, a familiar feeling of discouragement washed over me. "How am I ever going to get all of these things done, be an amazing teacher, change lives,etc ..." I took a deep sigh, grabbed my bags from the passenger seat and prepared to head inside ... but before I did, my eyes caught a certain something. "Have Courage".

Clearly a message from Kate Spade ... and God. I am grateful for the reminder that His love is great and everywhere and most importantly, I am not on this mission alone ...

Alternate Universe

I have literally been in an alternate universe ... I have mentioned before that I am doing Teach For America and as a part of that commitment, I have to spend 6 weeks this summer doing induction/Institute. Induction was the week after I stopped working so I literally got one day to get things done (doctors appointment, dry cleaning, alterations, errands in general ...) before reporting for duty at SMU. I actually had to stay in the SMU dorms (without Mr. SG) for that first week. This was an especially interesting experience for me since my house is about a 2 minute drive from SMU. But the week was a great time to get to know other Dallas corps members (we are called corps members) and get to know what our next two years will be like.

Then immediately I drove down to Houston to move into more dorms at Rice University and begin my journey of Institute.

For those of you who have never known a TFA corps member or had anyone explain Institute to you then you probably have no concept of what this experience is like. So I am going to paint a little picture. The logic behind Institute is to take classes (our sessions) to learn how to be a teacher in a low-income, high-risk school. Really, to learn how to be a good teacher period. The second part of Institute is that we get to teach summer school.

This schedule is abnormal. I have never worked this hard in my entire life. My whole day is taken up by TFA material. My brain has no room to think about anything else. If you do not use every moment you have to work, you will drown in the expectations.

Here is my sample schedule with alternate endings, because the evening isn't always the same.

Morning:

5 AM Wake-Up (Get stuff together, get dressed for the day, walk to the cafeteria to pack my lunch in my lunch box, get breakfast. )

6:36 AM Load Buses (we take buses to our school sites)

7:15 AM Session with our advisor
7:30 -9:00AM - First session of the day
9:00-10:30 AM - Second session of the day
10:30-11:30 AM Lesson Planning Time (Or time to meet with students/ mentor teachers)
11:30-12:10 PM Lunch Duty
12:10-1:10PM Lesson Planning Clinic (session on different aspects of lesson planning)
1:20-3:35 Teaching/Observations
3:35-4:00PM Meeting with Advisor
4:05 Load onto School buses to go back to Rice
4:30 -12:00 Eat dinner, work, work, work, work, work, work ..... literally I do not stop working. On a GOOD night, I get to bed at 12. The alternate ending is this:
4:30 - 3:00 AM Work ....

I barely talk to my husband ... and thank God it was my birthday on Thursday or I may have never had taken the time to talk to my friends and family.

I am learning amazing things and have never been so inspired in my life. I cannot wait to get started teaching again in August.

BUT as you can see, blogging is not feasible. BUT when I get back we have sooooooo many fun things to catch up on. We are throwing an engagement party, have some fun house design updates and many more things NOT related to teaching. So bare with me and you'll have a working blog to come back to in late July.

No rain in Spain!

I apologize for my neglect - between an unwelcome sinus/ear infection and a Honeymoon in Spain (yes, round two) culminating in an ER trip for a crazy bout with Vertigo ... I have been super busy!

When Mr. SG and I started planning our Honeymoon well over a year ago, we had initially decided to take a two-week cruise in the Greek Isles this summer (a delayed Honeymoon). But when I found out about Teach For America, we knew that wouldn't be possible since TFA requires a lengthy summer commitment that would prohibit us from going anywhere. So we decided to split up our honeymoon. Y'all saw pictures from our trip to Beaver Creek over Thanksgiving which was round one. We just finished another short (but equally divine) Honeymoon to Marbella, Spain which served as a temporary replacement for Greece and was all that a Honeymoon should be.

We picked Spain because we could fly their for "free" with our air miles and it would be a place where to relax with a delicious beverage in hand while basking in the sun and indulging in frivolity. Being in Texas, we could have easily gone to Mexico but we wanted something a bit more interesting. Through teamwork, Mr. SG and I found amazing deal at the Ritz-Carlton property in Marbella (an enormous Mediterranean facing suite with an insane breakfast included for under 300$ a night). And it was good fortune for us (not them) that the Euro has just been tanking over the past few months. The exchange rate was at about 1.25 the entire vacation.

The especially neat thing about this location in Spain is that it is part of the Costa Del Sol which faces the northern coast of Africa - specifically Morocco. We had been told by the hotel that on clear days you could see the coast of Morocco from the property and so every day, Mr. SG and I squinted towards the Mediterranean- straining to see land. We kept saying "Is that the coastline or are we imagining it?" We both swore we saw something. Alas, on the third day we saw definite coast line!! Had we had more time, we would have gone over to Morocco- they had easy boat trips with guides for around 80 Euro per person - a steal! And we are pretty adventurous people who normally would do something like this, but we decided to focus the little time we had on Spain.

Our activities included going to the Beach Club, lounging by the pool at the hotel, relaxing in the Spa, drinking Cava and READING!!

I promise pictures - I'll do a separate post. For now, I will leave you with book recommendations. Since summer is fast approaching many of you will depart on your own vacations - be it involving a transatlantic flight or shipping the kiddos off to the grandparents for a few days of "staycation". In any case, I give you a few ideas for your summer reading list ...

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein:

A beautifully moving book told from a dogs perspective. Animal lovers will especially enjoy this. It is a quick, fun read for a diverse set of tastes. Looks like it might be made into a movie in 2012? If so it will make for a great family flick.

One Fifth Avenue, by Candace Bushnell:

We all know Candace Bushnell for Sex and the City, but if you haven't yet dug in to her other books do so now! If you need a mindless getaway and crave the opportunity to be transported to a life on 5th Avenue then pick up One Fifth Avenue. Very girly. Very Sex-and-the-City. Very Manhatten.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, by Chelsea Handler:

I was a bit embarrassed at first to share with you all that I have even read this book. As an English teacher, I am especially mortified ... but I wanted to put it out there that yes - I enjoy potty humor every now and then. For those of you who watch Chelsea Lately, on E! you know what I mean ... her third book is even more crude. On my last flight two weeks ago I packed a bag of etiquette books (one of my FAVORITE things to read) but this week Chelsea's vodka fueled snark was what I was craving! Emily Post would disapprove (and so would my grandparents) but I'll make it up to them by striving to be a lady 99% of the time and correctly setting a table for 10.

So whether you wish to satisfy your potty-mouth side, sexy side, or sentimental side here are some summer reading list suggestions!

Talbots

As far as clothes go, I have always been attracted to classic styles and when I wasn't falling victim to the depressing Abercrombie trend that reigned during my high school years, I was shopping at places like Ann Taylor and Talbots. I still own my first Talbots purchase - a beautiful black, silk suit. (It was for Mock Trial competitions.) This stunning suit will always be in style ... now if only I was the size of my 14-year-old self ... I may have had some dowdy moments but for the most part, I loved making these conservative looks youthful and was pretty successful I might add. (I've been rocking the whole blazer/white tee/ jean combo for a while now - thanks for the great fashion tips mom!!)

Now Talbots isn't making me work as hard to look chic, classic and youthful at the same time! Their new line is positively revitalized and I honestly think anyone, at any age (and any size since they carry petites AND plus sizes!!) Fabulous blogger Puttin' on the G.R.I.T.S has partnered with Talbots blog redchairconfessions.com for a BIG giveaway. To enter, you have to post about your favorite new Talbots item. This is eassssyyyyyy to do since I was going to do it anyways!! (Now I just might win something for it ...)

This dress has summer written all over it! Mixing the classic silhouette of a shirt dress with the delicacy of eyelet lace, this is a perfect ensemble for your Memorial Day celebration. Hit up your nearest Talbots (or the website) to scoop it up for yourself.

Happy shopping!!

Let the chips fall ... into your mouth!!!

These are the most amazing chips I have ever had. Seriously. They are made out of baked lentils which means high in fiber, low in fat and calories! The bag pictured is just naked, natural sea salt flavor and I highly recommend it. A serving of 30 chips is about 110 calories - tell me that is not insane! It can even be a substitute for tortilla chips - pair this with salsa, a spread of goat cheese and mango chutney or hummus and voila! you have a healthy, delicious snack.

I found mine at Central Market, so those of you not in the DFW area might have luck at a Fresh Market or Whole Foods type of grocer. They are made by the Mediterranean Snack Food Co. - So scoop them up and enjoy!!

Mad Men and Barbie

Attention all Mad Men fans ... Collector's Edition Mad Men Barbies will hit the shelves this July. They are expected to retail for about $75 and can be purchased at BarbieCollector.com.

AMCTV.com reports that,

"Gracefully molded of Silkstone®, a material that resembles the look and weight of porcelain, each doll is stylized in iconic costumes from the series, and comes with accessories true to their show counterparts. Don Draper wears his classic, polished red-lined suit and comes accessorized with a hat, overcoat and brief case; Betty Draper's classic look is captured with unparalleled detail, from her faux pearl necklace to her pumps; Joan Holloway looks chic in a purple skirt suit and perfectly styled coif with her staple accessory - a pen necklace; and Roger Sterling is looking dapper in his monogrammed shirt."

Since I don't have any little girls to "give" these dolls to ( i.e. buy them because I want them and have a legitimate excuse) I'll have to find a creative excuse to get one of these beauties this summer. My choice would probably be Joan because it reminds me of the original Barbie that my grandmother had for us to play with.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Mad Men to come back this summer!

Mrs. SG In A New Classroom Adventure!

Obviously I have been absent for a while now ... every day as I check up on other fun blogs I feel such guilt that somehow I can't work it into my routine more consistently! Typical ... I have amassed a collection of journals and diaries that are empty minus a few entries at the beginning all starting with some semblance of the phrase "This time I'm going to write in you dear diary!!" I could never stick to it! I have done much better with this blog but could still use some improvement ...

As you might remember I finished my first long-term substitute position right before my Spring Break trip to New York. After my week-long hiatus, I started a new long-term position, filling in for a teacher who has permanently left the school. This new job is at a different school. In fact, different is an understatement ... My previous position was in one of the best school districts in the country. They have abundance in all sense of the word. Almost 100% of the students graduate high school and continue on to some of our nation's most competitive colleges and universities.

This new school (where I am currently) resides in the worst zip-code in Dallas, i.e. the zip code with the most violent crimes. Here it is more likely that a student will drop out than graduate - let alone go to college. Teen pregnancy, drugs, crime, discrimination, gangs, abuse, neglect ... these are just a few of the challenges that these students are faced with daily. There are currently Teach For America corps members at this high school, one of whom (and old friend of mine) contacted me about this position when it became available. It is possible that this school will be my TFA home starting next Fall.

I would call this past week at my new school a mind-blowing experience. I can already see what immense challenges these students and I will be facing together. What I can also see is how wonderful it will be to have a network like TFA supporting me. Furthermore, the faculty at this new school has been so warm and welcoming that it made what could have been an over-whelming, hellish week very rewarding and inspiring.

So my blogging absence has been due to starting this new position with an entirely unfamiliar set of challenges. But every late night has been a window into how important my commitment to TFA is and how potentially rewarding it can be for me and my students. Initially I was a bit sad to have to go down to Houston this summer and leave my hubby and sweet animals in Dallas, this past week has gotten me amped for June to come! I know that those 5 weeks and the rest of this summer's prep with TFA will make me an even better teacher for my kiddos next year!

"One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an exellent education."

Happy Spring

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since I wrapped up my Southern Wedding posts! My only excuse for such a dry spell is being a busy little bee. I finished up my most recent interim teaching position- those three months absolutely flew by! In these last two weeks I had some serious grading to do, an Open House and many more little tasks to keep me more than occupied.

One of the definite perks of being a teacher is Spring Break!! And ladies and gentlemen that is what I am doing right now - relaxing. This past weekend I kicked off my week of freedom by jetting up to NYC to visit my dear friend ACR and her lovely beau. Despite the psychotic nor'easter like weather, we made the best of our time together and spent Saturday hopping from one fabulous NYC location to another. I have been lucky enough to travel to NYC with family and friends enough times that there was no pressure to "see the sights" - this weekend was all about catching up with a friend I miss having in Dallas. We kicked off the day at Park Avenue Winter and enjoyed a fabulous brunch including pastries, a pear and prosciutto salad and a breakfast Risotto. I recommend this location to anyone heading up to Manhattan - it was wonderfully done.

We then headed out for a bit of shopping at the Time Warner center (William Sonoma Home - one of my all-time favorites.) I was overjoyed to find this pillow (below) which I snapped up to put on our master bed. We took a break at the Mandarin Oriental and sipped on some sparkling water, iced tea and a yummy glass of chardonnay. After soaking in these amazing views (below) we took a taxi over to SoHo to meet ACR's friends and Godparents at the ultra-chic Crosby Street Hotel.

The decor is so unique - a perfect blend of tailoring and quirkiness. This was a perfect place to sip champagne while the wind howled outside, threatening to turn our umbrellas inside out the second we stepped out the door.

While we were lounging, munching on green olive stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, ACR's Godmother said, "Look at the cute little boy in the top-hat." That statement would encourage anyone to look and so we did. This precious little boy was wearing a miniature version of a hipster hat (see below). But quickly I was distracted from the adorable mini-hipster to find that the beautiful man holding him was Matthew Mcconaughey. I have never seen him look as handsome as he did right then. The inclement weather had forced the infamous shirtless version of Matthew to put on a wonderfully cut jacket. His hair was tastefully slicked back and his skin was beautifully tanned. As we exited the bar we were within a foot of him (this bar was not packed - very intimate) - at this moment I could hear his thick, southern drawl ... oh what a delightful surprise this spotting was. I apologize for not taking a picture, just trust me when I say it would have been ridiculously awkward and I hate making celebrities like that who are just trying to relax on a Saturday afternoon with their son feel uncomfortable.

We were sad to leave but happy to get ready for our next and final stop of the day to The Modern Restaurant - A Danny Meyer creation. This delectable gem of a restaurant is at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and looks out onto a beautiful sculpture garden. We feasted on a 7 course tasting, finished by the most amazing chocolate cart I have ever seen. The fabulous, food, atmosphere and most importantly company made this one of the most memorable meals I have ever had.

The next day, the weather began cooperating a bit more and I took a train into Princeton, NJ to meet up with darling SVB and her sweet bf.

Though I have visited her in Princeton a number of times, I had never eaten at Witherspoon Grill. From here on out when I think of the best burger of my life, I will remember this lunch. The meat was superb, they actually listened to me and cooked it medium rare. The caramelized onions and blue cheese were the finishing touches. (Can you tell by now my priority was food ...)

We then headed off to do some shopping and SVB found a top-secret-not-to-be-mentioned-something (a gift) and I found a darling rain/spring coat that I have already worn! We met up with some of their friends for dinner and then headed back to her adorable apartment for some Sunday Night TV (Desperate and Brothers & Sisters -obviously) We were both pretty zonked and poor SVB had work the next day so we headed to bed before evening finished B&Ss. The next day I interrupted her work day and met her for Indian Food (I love Masala Grill in Princeton.) After we said our goodbye's, I headed back to pack up and her sweet bf took me to the airport. And that was that! I made it back to Dallas and here I am, blogging in my PJ's ... basking in the glory of this beautiful weather and enjoying my adult Spring Break. I already miss both SVB and ACR and cannot wait to see them again!

I hope some of you found at least some good restaurant recommendations for any upcoming travels to NYC or Princeton .... and I promise to not let so much time lapse between entries that I leave you with a novel!! Happy Spring!

Southern Wedding: Happily Ever After

Thank you for joining me in reminiscing on what was a wonderful wedding week that was really just a few months ago! I'll leave you with a pic my hubby snapped the morning after the wedding on our way out of the Honeymoon suite to meet our family and friends at the wedding brunch. The night of the wedding, our sweet wedding planner snuck up to our room to fill the vintage suitcase with flowers, stuff our suite with gifts, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, etc ... The next day, this scene was too sweet not to capture - the dress and veil hung up to be put away, the guests were on their way home, the party was coming to an end. But we know for the rest of our lives we will keep dear to us this sweet celebration that ushered in a new phase in our life together.

Southern Grace Wedding: Reception II

These reception pictures will be more people oriented! After the ceremony, hubby and I headed over to the marina that is across the street from our church. We hopped on a family friend's boat that is absolutely stunning. The sun started to get that orange, sunset glow and I couldn't think of a more perfect way to spend the first few minutes of our wedded lives together than with fresh, ocean air and salty sea spray greeting our smiling faces.

Even though it was our wedding day, we had to wear the appropriate non-scuff shoes so of course Mr. SG and I rocked our Sperry's for the boat ride.

One of my favorite pics.

Doesn't she look beautiful!!



Our shoes were awaiting our arrival at the Ritz's dock.

As were all of our fabulous wedding guests!!!


After a quick champagne toast on the dock, we walked straight to our first dance (Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James) Funny story about the dance ... the shoes you saw on the dock were my "reception shoes" and about 2 inch shorter than my "ceremony Manolo's" ... Mr. SG and I spent 6 weeks perfectly choreographing our first dance and when we hit the floor, I was suddenly tripping all over my dress. I was able to cover it and I whispered into his ear "I'm stepping on my dress, we have to improvise!" So we threw our dance out the window and freelanced! Everyone kept saying how they were so impressed - little did they know it was our Plan B!

At least we were able to nail the dip ... I was still a little scared since the mister had dropped me during our practice two nights prior (on concrete no less) but we pulled it off perfectly!!

Then came time for the Father- Daughter dance ... same issue with the dress so once again we had to wing it! We had a blast dancing to "How Sweet It Is". Throughout the week leading up to the wedding I made some incredible memories. Some of theme were positively grand like arriving to my reception on a boat but some of them were deliciously simple. For example, on the Tuesday night before the wedding, Mr. SG and I took our parents, my sister and our grandparents out to dinner to exchange presents of gratitude and share our thankful hearts with them. Before joining together, I met my dad at the hospital where he works for some last minute dance practice- I will never forget just the two of us, dancing in an empty conference room and singing to ourselves "How Sweet It Is".

About 3/4 of the way through the dance, Mr. SG and his mother joined in and really surprised everyone with their moves!

The rest of the night was filled with toasts (as seen above) ...

Cake cutting ... (no smashing cake in each others faces ...)

And dancing!! We had a fabulous band called The Venturas ... our guests could not stop talking about how great they were!!

My sweet mom and her new son-in-law dancing!

My grandparents, Gaya and Geedad kicking their heels up!!

Dancing with everyone ... this may have been on of my favorite songs "Shout"!

Husband and I were able to steal a few private moments throughout the night.

Tossed the bouquet and guess what ... my sister caught it!! So not only did she get the silver ring charm in the bridesmaids cupcakes but now this?!?! She must be next .... uh oh!!

I love the pictures where I can see the whole scene like this with the palm trees and the night sky ... it just takes me back to such a magical night!

This is us at the very end of the night ... one of our friends snapped it. It completely summarizes how we felt ... happily exhausted!!

Southern Grace Wedding: The Reception Details

After our nuptial mass, guests traveled to the Ritz Carlton, Sarasota for the celebration!! The reception site was perfection. Mr. SG and I elected to have our reception on the lawn by Sarasota Bay. We always had the back-up plan of a ballroom which made us more comfortable risking the elements. But when November 14th came, the weather was by far one of the most beautiful, Florida days. Not even close to being hot, hardly any humidity in the air and only got a tad chilly once the sun set.

Here is the reception site being set up by the illustrious Ritz staffers.

The hotel as viewed from our boat approaching the reception post Mass.


Guests were greeted by a table filled with silver trays holding their place cards ... you can see the little green alligator for a touch of Florida whimsy.

Continuing on with our Florida theme and fitting right into the coral color story, a sweet Flamingo graced the bottom of the menus, tucked into the guests napkins.

Later in the evening, Mr. SG and I toasted our first toast as husband and wife in these beautiful, crystal champagne glasses from 18th century France, given to us by my grandparents, Gaya and Geedad.


Our cake was covered in a simple ecru fondant and adorned with clusters of coral-hued flowers and kumquats to give it that Florida flare!

In lieu of guest books, guests signed the same vintage Florida post cards that had been our Save-the-Dates. They dropped them into an old suitcase bearing a sign that said "Best wishes for the new Mr. and Mrs. " Also on the table are silver picture frames filled with wedding pictures of family members.

This is the head table. I am not a fan of the head table that sits on a platform and looks out over the party with members of the wedding party on one side. Instead, we had one enormous table running down the center of all of the guests tables where all of our wedding party, including ushers, and their dates could sit with us. Now realistically we were only able to talk to those sitting closest to us, but it was so cool to be able to look down the table and around us to see our loved ones. During dinner were were able to make rounds to about 75% of the people to personally thank them for being there and to see how their evening is going. With a reception as large as ours, it was impossible to have a receiving line. Our parents were able to take care of anyone else and as the hosts of the event, it all worked out how it was supposed to.

The flowers were mostly antique green hydrangeas, English Garden Roses in shades of coral, and kumquats - my personal favorite.

Each arrangement was done in a piece of silver. No container was exactly alike as I had been collecting them for over a year from various thrift stores. We used Revere bowls of all shapes and sizes, julep cups, trophies, and even little silver serving sets like sugar bowls and creamers.

The flowers for everything were done by Tiger Lilly. I wish there was a Tiger Lilly in Dallas because I would use them for everything!! They provided the tall silver vases for the arrangements. Having arrangements in all different containers was a somewhat risky move that could have made the arrangements look disjointed. But it since the containers were all silver and the flowers were all the same, it was actually very visually interesting!

And I realized that y'all have never see pictures of the rings! So I will leave you with that ... stay tuned, because the next post will be the Reception with people!! (Dancing, toasting, chatting, bouquet tossing and cake cutting!!)