Ketchup Isn't Spaghetti Sauce

There are many things that my mom made up when I was a child. One of them is spaghetti.

Though I was raised in the United States, I grew up in a mini-Honduran home. Our food, language, mannerisms, and so much reflected my family's culture, mixed in with some Nickelodeon. Every now and then we would be treated to some mac & cheese and mashed potatoes to take a break from our typical sides: rice & beans. Maccaroni -- yum.

Then.... there was spaghetti. Before I explain my mom's recipe, you have to understand that she was labeled as the cooking-challenged daughter. This will make sense in a second. The one upper hand my mom had and STILL has, is her life-changing white rice. Divine!! Best white rice you'll ever have (no, it's not JUST rice... it's the perfect portion of peppers, onion, tomato -- AND perfect texture). Other than that, seasoning and food knowledge just doesn't come natural to her. At all. So one night, she decided to make spaghetti. It went like this:

She boiled her pasta and drained it. Then she added some butter to a heated skillet and tossed the spaghetti in. She seasoned it with garlic salt and finished it with.... (wait for it) .... ketchup. And that's it. You have your garlic and tomato flavorings, what else do you need?! The insane part? We LOVED it. And to top it off, my mom kept making whatever we loved, and would suddenly be hit by inspiration. She started experimenting with sour cream for an "alfredo" type of sauce. (pause) Sorry, I had to catch my breath from laughing. And it was STILL good! Don't judge my taste buds. I should probably not speak for my brother because who knows if he was a fan of any of these experiments. I swear we didn't eat like this all the time, hahaha.

Anyway, I forgot to mention her beans are also ON POINT. But that's a skill most of my family has acquired. I'll get there one day.....

As a tribute to my mother, I want to share with you an AMAZING spaghetti sauce recipe I made last week.

(taken with my iphone)

Ingredients (btw - you can do HALF this amount if it's just 2 of you)

• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• 4 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (not necessary)
  
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons white sugar (I mixed white & brown)
  
• 1/4 cup basil
  
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 pinches baking soda
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I don't think I ended up adding the cheese)
  
• 2 tablespoons of white cooking wine (not necessary -- just my personal choice)
• 1 tablespoon of oregano (personal preference)
  
• 1 tablespoon of parsley (personal preference)
• pinch of red pepper flakes (personal preference)
  

Directions

1. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil for a couple of minutes first (get those flavors out). Then add the whole tomatoes (crush them into the pan!), tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, mushrooms, sugar, salt and pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, white wine, red pepper flakes, and 1 pinch of baking soda in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 3-4 hours minimum. **I know that sounds crazy, but it's not bad at all. Plan ahead when you want to cook this. I started it at 3 p.m., set it on simmer, then worked on my website the rest of the time. Once 6 p.m. rolled around, I cooked the pasta and meat and it was good to go! Some of you might have to try it on a Saturday. Trust me, once you gather the ingredients, you literally just toss them into the skillet and simmer!!
   
2. After your lovely waiting, stir in another pinch of baking soda; the sauce will foam. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and almost brown. Make sure to scrape the sides of the pan in to the sauce.
3. After the sauce is fork consistency (or just delicious), stir in Parmesan cheese (taste sauce FIRST!). Watch that the cheese does not burn. Taste sauce. If it is too tangy or acidic, add another pinch of baking soda and simmer another 1/2 hour (or cook meat in the mean time).
4. I cooked ground turkey on a different skillet, seasoned with seasoning salt (the red one, not to be confused with white salt), and added 2 pinches of Mccormick 's steak seasoning (I'm my mother aren't I?! :). I let that cook through then scooped the spaghetti sauce INTO the skillet with the meat. I served it with bow-tie pasta and it was DELICIOUS!!!

(Revised version from Allrecipes.com)

I'm a spaghetti fan. Clearly I didn't have very high standards of it as a child, so this was pretty exciting for me. And while I can make this delicious spaghetti sauce, my mom still reigns her throne of white rice. Were there any crazy/goofy recipes your parents made as a child? I know some of you were blessed with AMAZING cooks! But there had to be at least one crazy dish. Can it top ketchup spaghetti?!

Confused feet...

Ack! I'm getting cold feet everyone :( I'm really torn about performing in a couple of weeks.

In Atlanta, I was also part of a Salsa studio and involved in the performance classes. The biggest difference (because there's quite a few) was that we were assigned a partner from the beginning. The new studio here in Arizona rotates partner for every practice.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy rotating partners because you are exposed to different leads and you learn more about yourself as a follower. Unfortunately, there are some guys that are committed more than others, and as a result, you'll dance with someone who can't finish the routine or might pull your arm OFF in the process.

And now I'm starting to freak out a little. Our performance is in TWO weeks and we have yet to be partnered. There hasn't been any connections made because we constantly change partners! I'm seriously nervous about who they'll pair me up with because it has to be a collaboration. Plus, it doesn't matter how much -I- might know the dance -- in salsa, the female MUST follow the guide. It will be obvious if I back-lead because it'll look like a dance of "catching up." I don't want to back-lead -- that's not dancing.



I think we're going to find out this week (I HOPE!) who our partners will be. I'm seriously considering dropping out of the performance. That's not me at ALL, but there's no confidence when I don't know what our actual performance will look like -- 2 weeks from the day of. There's only 2 guys who know the entire routine and only ONE that can complete it with music.

Would you risk it, even if you knew only one guy could do the entire routine with music?

I wouldn't be so torn if the performance wasn't around the corner. There have been plenty of times in Atlanta when my partner and I had tough spots in our performance and didn't feel ready, but we had worked together from week one. We knew what each other's strengths and weaknesses were after understanding each other's rhythm.

Two weeks might still be plenty of time -- but it all depends on who I get partnered with. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I have the dance down to a tee, buuuut, I'm not the one who's leading it. Poor guys have all the pressure! What if the person I get matched with still hasn't learned it by performance week? Do I make the decision that we can't perform then? So much to think about :( Would love to hear your opinion!

p.s. That photo was taken in Spain from the first Flamenco show I had ever been to. It was mind blowing how something could be SO intense, powerful, and passion-filled coming from one person.

I'm Such a Girl

Ok, clearly I am at a point in my life where there are lots of people having babies. I mean, people that I know. However, that was not the case at ALL until my bestfriend just delivered her baby today.

I got all emotional like I was the one who was pregnant! Kristen Lewis and I have been bestfriends since middle school. Back when we used to write notes and my name was spelled "Alahundra." Hahaha. Story of my life with my name :) For some reason we both just clicked and -- wait -- for SOME reason? No, let's not play. Let me count the reasons:

-Kristen and I are both loud.
-Obnoxiously loud in high school.
-We liked to laugh. Kristen taught me to laugh at MYSELF.
-This included many accidents (on both sides) where laughter came first, followed by "Are you okay?!"
-We worked at the same restaurant and went to the same high school = ridiculous memories.
-There was typically never something we weren't willing to try. That includes skipping school for lunch to get free, DELICIOUS, fajita nachos from my Aunt's job downtown.
-Putting on the MOST ridiculous performance during our improv class (cheerleaders with asthma) that was applauded by our friends but incredibly scorned by our teacher.
-If we were in trouble individually, that's okay. But in trouble TOGETHER? Forget about it! That would just be more trouble.

When Kristen found out she was pregnant, her and Billy each chose one person to tell. They would tell the rest of their family & friends once they went to the doctor and had everything checked and confirmed. I remember missing her phone call and listening to her voicemail. I thought there was something different in her tone and when I called back the first thing out of my mouth was "You're pregnant?!" She was!!! I was so honored to be that person to receive the call.

It blows my mind that the same girl who drew on the seats of the school bus with me (remember the turtle lady?!), peed between the portables because we could NOT hold it and her car wasn't working (only to later find out she hadn't fully shifted it into park! :), convinced me to audition for Arts Magnet by playing improv games with me, shared the MOST intense secrets that one day on the DART train, snuck out to the roof of my house so we could tan only to be embarrassed to see construction men working two houses down whistling at us -- is now a mother to a boy who will probably do ten times as much ridiculous things in his childhood.

She's a mom. Wow. When I saw the first photo of her holding Kent, I realized I was no longer an onlooker of friends with babies. Today my bestfriend, the face I've been SO familiar with in my childhood, is holding a child of her own.

No, I'm not pregnant. Just emotional. Happy Birthday Kent :)

Kiki & I on her wedding in 2006

Time for Change

Hello. Let me re-introduce myself and apologize.

I came to a realization today: When I dedicate myself to one blog, the other suffers. Some of you may or may not know that I have another blog. The funny thing is that I don't have a problem with content, I have a problem with TOO MUCH content. I become so overwhelmed with my ideas for my "photography" blog and I end up running away = no post. I feel so, so, so insanely blessed that there's people out there who even care about what I have to say.

So my scatter brain self has 2 blogs... what was I thinking? :)

It would be so easy for me to say that I just moved to Phoenix, and so there's nothing for me to really post in terms of photography. WRONG. Photography consumes me. Y'all, I work during the day AND even at night when Jose comes home. The problem is, I just got married and have TONS of wedding material I want to share with the world, including furnishing my first home. On top of that, I have my bazillion Spain photos to go through. THEN, I'm also re-designing my website.

I have only reached out to ONE photographer here in Phoenix, and that was to ask if they had a blog. I'm so anxious to finish my website because my current website doesn't include a SINGLE photo of my fashion set. You guys, there's photos I hadn't shown Jose until last week from my first workshop! I'm afraid of reaching out to photographers right now because I don't think my website reflects the complete direction I want to move into. So I'm forcing myself to finish before reaching out. But I get so anxious....

It's time for change. I need to create a blog that will combine BOTH my personal and photography content. One with little tabs to hold categories. Why have I waited this long?! Because that's typical of me. Become so overwhelmed that it finally pushes me to find functionality. Now I'm crossing my fingers functionality will be cheap.

On a different but still-photography-related note. You're going to DIE or pee in your pants when I share some of these bullfighting photos from Spain!!! Fine, fine... I'll post one :)

p.s. I promise to share more of this journey in re-starting (read: STARTING) my photography journey here in Phoenix to hopefully one day become a truly, full-time, professional photographer.

p.p.s. Have you heard of Jasmine Star? I'm taking her Creative Live Course right now and taking MAJOR notes!! I'll make sure to share the knowledge with y'all!

We Were Flying

It rained. Rained, rained, rained. Our second city in Spain, and the weather wasn't letting up. We opened up the tourist booklet the hotel gave us and scanned some of the options. Surfing? If the water wasn't FREEZING. Kayaking? Phone number is out of service. And then we saw it. I had been skydiving before, but this... this was different. Jose smirked -"Well, we finally found something you haven't done... what do you think?" It was a little pricey, but ... when would we EVER get the chance to fly in Spain?!

"We stood so tall, we caught a plane
By the wing and held it safe
Until we found it a place to land"



I'm finally finished editing this, and an exhilarating emotion runs through me every time I watch the video. Mainly because it takes me back to Spain, the wedding (still!), and being able to do all of this with Jose. I feel so lucky... so blessed to be able to experience things like this. Yes, paragliding does make you feel incredible, but "Oh, for love we become larger than life size.. great in the eyes of someone... larger than life size we become" -- A Fine Frenzy.

Have you ever or would you consider doing something like this?!

We're Out of Milk.. again?!

(My jamon iberico, queso, & pan baguette in Spain)

I knew things would change when we got married. And I especially knew our grocery bill would change. But I didn't realize HOW MUCH! We go through a gallon of milk every week, we probably go to the grocery store twice a week, and somehow I feel like we're always missing something (a veggie, a fruit, or... MILK!).

So I need some opinions... or advice. Here's the thing: I buy organic produce. Mainly, I buy organic milk and chicken. The milk isn't really a problem, but the chicken is definitely expensive. They don't typically sell organic "skinless, boneless, chicken tenders" in bulk. Also, instead of beef, we usually buy ground turkey which is leaner and not as expensive. I'm not a fan of fish, but I bought a blackened catfish at a market yesterday and it was DELICIOUS! So now I'm considering fish for more protein options.

Anyway, what I really want to know is: How often do YOU go grocery shopping? What do you typically run out of the most? I know this changes for every individual/couple according to their preferences (Jose is a cereal killer = milk is like water at our place ;). But I'd like to get an idea of what the "average" is -- whether you buy for one or two.

Do you always eat some type of meat for dinner? Or do you turn to other options for protein? Any tips on saving at the grocery store?

I even considered us getting a Costco account, but we don't even have kids! So I'm not sure if we would take advantage of the benefits in "bulk" purchases. But the way we run out of milk, cereal, bread, and chicken is making me have second thoughts.

Maybe we're just skinny cows. What do you think?! :)

French Toast

I found out there was a farmer's market -- the kind where real farmers show up -- every Wednesdays and Sundays around where I live. Excited about this, I drove down Wednesday afternoon to check it out. After stopping by some booths, picking up chicken and fruits, I smelled a heavenly aroma -- bread.

Oh my word.

This man had cinnamon rolls on steroids!! Then he showed me the cinnamon loaf with pecans. Now, I'm not a huge pecan lover, but Jose loves sweet breads (ok, ANY bread) and pecan pie. Then, like he actually has to convince me to buy any, the bread man says (as I pick up and smell the cinnamon-pecan loaf) "Yeah, these make GREAT french toast!"

Genius!! I set down the beast of a watermelon I'm holding, pay him, and get home asap to... hide the bread. Now, before you start thinking I'm a horrible wife, I'm not hiding it so I can keep the starchy, buttery glory to myself. In fact, I plan on surprising him with breakfast the next day!

I'm ridiculous about "gifts." I love giving them, and I LOVE surprises. So the whole night, I was reading up about french toast because I HAD to make it right. I couldn't ruin that beautiful loaf with my clumsy cooking skills. Every now and then, Jose would walk by while I was reading the recipe online and I would yell "Don't look at my screen please!!" Or he'd open the pantry door and I'd say "STOP!!" The loaf was wrapped in plastic, but let's just say our pantry STILL smells like cinnamon. That stuff is crack!

(Picture I snapped during my wedding tasting: french toast, soaked in french vanilla ice cream the night before!!)

Anyway, I decide to prep the milk-egg mixture the night before. BUT, I also read that stale bread makes the best french toast (absorbs the mixture better apparently). This means I need to pre-slice my bread and leave it out during the night. So I prop Jose's laptop on the kitchen counter as I'm prepping everything AND meticulously making him stay in the living room. If you don't remember, we're in a condo so this is just a large room (living + dining + kitchen).

Right as I'm finishing things up, I find this video revealing great tips about french toast. However, what I DON'T remember is that when I used Jose's laptop earlier that day -- I had the volume on FULL blast for my workout video. Before I get the chance to even hit pause, a woman's voice BLARES out of the speakers "Cooking FRENCH TOAST IS"--- I hit the pause button and immediately look over at Jose on the couch with the desire that he SOMEHOW did NOT just hear that after spending the entire day keeping everything secret!!!

He busts out laughing.

Ugh. I could have dumped the egg mixture on his Mac. But then I wouldn't be able to watch my workout videos.

And want to hear something else that's funny? We didn't have VANILLA. So Jose suggested I put vanilla YOGURT in the mix. This is the same guy who brought me banana nut bread when I had a stomach virus because it was "practically a banana."

I have to admit it's those pieces of him that I love so much. They're so ridiculous sometimes that they just make me laugh. Okay, AFTER the fact. Cause I was not laughing at that stupid video. I'm talking FULL volume people. The NEIGHBORS KNEW I WAS MAKING FRENCH TOAST!

The french toasts? They turned out great. Vanilla yogurt and all.

Maybe it's Spain

I can't tell if I feel this way because it's naturally what happens at a certain age, or if Spain tucked itself into my pocket and materialized itself via my taste. My taste of clothes that is.

Lately I've just been wanting to wear soft, light colored flannels, rolled up shorts (cargo, jean, or corduroys), and just... really comfortable, yet slightly sophisticated and feminine clothes. I'm not a fan of formality, but I'm not really interested in my fitted t-shirts anymore.

Since we are in no mode to spend money on clothes (cause our furniture is eating it up!!) = I have to get creative with what I already have. SO, I took a bright (but not neon bright!) red top, some tweed/brown colored, formal capris -- rolled them up, and added a thin, brown belt (which I got from Spain!), to define my waist, and pulled my hair back in a bun but not without adding LOTS of volume around the crown.

I'm no fashion expert as we can recall ;) BUT, I'm starting to really like combining "business" with feminine casual.

I'm also starting to pay attention on ways to dress "my shape." Yes, I'm petite, but I can really make my curves disappear with certain t-shirts, or suddenly look stumpy with certain dresses because I'm pretty short. I found a really great article (go read it!!) that breaks down body shapes and ways to accent your best attributes with the right clothing. Though watch out for the scandalous body photo on the first page but just scroll down to the good stuff.

So what's your style?! Learn anything? Any recommendations?

Ciao!

p.s. You like my moving boxes in the background? ;) Haven't finished my office quite yet...

I went with bangs!

Don't you just love when you've done something for someone and they squeal with excitement? See, I'm weird in a way that sometimes I do and sometimes I'm slightly silent.

Example A) Getting my bangs cut!

I was so nervous! Mainly because I didn't want to look like a 3rd grader. Granted, I just turned 25 and I will never grow old of people thinking I'm 18 because if that equation continues... then that means I'll get to look 25 when I'm 35 -- holla!

Having just moved to Phoenix, I searched Yelp and found The Root hair salon. They got some AMAZING reviews and the price was very affordable -- $45 for wash, cut, AND blow dry. Considering they were the best reviewed, I made the appointment.

Results

When she snipped away my hair and revealed the new bangs, I was... speechless. It was so new to me that I couldn't grip an emotion. I also did this when the fabulous Ren did my make up trial. I felt so bad because both of them asked "So what do you think?" and I was like ".. I.. I really like it" but my speechlessness betrayed me to appear "hesitant." Yeah, okay, I WAS a little hesitant about the bangs... but that's because I haven't had these since grade school. Though I've had the swoopy-bangs if that makes sense.

My point is that sometimes I'm overwhelmed with the change and can't just squeal with excitement right away, but I know what it's like to be on the other side too. I love doing someone's hair and having them gush "I LOVE this!" -- Who doesn't?! But it helps me realize that even the same person (me) can react differently yet STILL love the results. I went home and straightened my hair a little more to give it a modern look (rather than it being slightly curled under = too young). Then I started to really love it and get excited.

Here's the full length

If you're considering bangs, get ready for MAINTENANCE!! Cause these suckers don't do well when they're not controlled :) We're getting "humid" weather this month, so we'll see how much I love them then... ha.

My recreation :)

While my palette still lingers for Spanish bread and patatas bravas (which the patatas, I'm ashamed to admit, should be the last thing I miss :), I have been pretty excited about the new kitchen Jose and I finally have. I cannot begin to tell you how much we hate crappy knives. Since leaving home, I've lived in either a college campus, or rented. For some reason, even after having a full time job, I couldn't justify spending hundreds on a knife set so I just used what was available. Though I admit Jose has given me the "do's and don'ts" of 'expensive knife' use (along with the new pots & pans) that made me really hesitant about using these knives incorrectly.

So as I sat with boxes around me, tired of unpacking, I managed to feel inspired to cook something fresh. After scanning the refrigerator I knew I was limited, but I had very key ingredients: chicken, mango, avocado, FOOD PROCESSOR (this is a highlight for me), lime, and other miscellaneous items. I can't believe I almost forgot this one: a George Foreman Grill. Pathetic because I could afford this before, but just never got around to buying one. Why?! It makes the BEST sandwich melts AND cooks chicken so fast, leaving it's delicious grill marks. So when I came across this post on She Eats Bears, I hopped over the boxes and yanked out the new goodies.

I admit I had to learn the following:
1) Roast tomatoes in the oven (well)
2) Cut mango into squares

Along with cutting the mangoes, I managed to cut my pinky. Like I said, I'm used to crappy knives. I was a little too aggressive with my slicing, and did not realize expensive knives cut mango skin like SILK. Yep, cut my pinky like silk too!

The results? GREAT!! You can see my home-made avocado dressing is more of a home-made tomato dressing because I only had one avocado and 3 tomatoes. That happens. She doesn't specify measurements in this particular dish, but let me just say it is worth a shot. Mango goes SO well with chicken salads, especially with a smoky dressing. YUM. Note that I didn't have almost half of her ingredients but it still worked.

Did I mention we don't have plates yet?

Who cares? We have A/C! We'll get around to the plates this week...

I Am MARRIED!!

PHEW. Can you believe it?! A year of planning and then that moment finally gets here. The good news is.. Im still in SPAIN!! The reason I am writing is because we are staying with a friend´s Aunt here in Madrid and right now the family is watching tennis with Jose. We leave tomorrow for Sevilla. The bad news is that I won´t really get to all the details until the end of June when we get back to the States.

Geez.. the immensity of that day was overwhelming. But, as you can FINALLY see, I DID make my brooch bouquet and you can see my Spanish dress. Also, I ditched the birdcage and went with a mantilla. It was a decision made closer to the wedding day, but the birdcage was kind of awkward on me.

(By Raya Carlisle -- our photographer :):) :)

Do you like my hair?!? Remember my last post?? Well, I decided to do my hair myself! But clearly that´s crazy, right? I knew I couldn´t do it ALL by myself, but I needed to try. The night I found out about the girl canceling, I guided Jose´s Aunt and cousin to do a hair trial with me. I needed help curling the back, and LOTS of teasing, with some bumpits and stuff thrown in there (haha), we made it WORK!! They were pretty nervous, because I mean.. DUH, you are asked to do someone´s WEDDING HAIR just days before the event (AND you are not a hair stylist), who wouldn´t freak out? If it turned out badly during our ¨trial¨then I would have just gone with a stylist, but I LOVED it. I´ll try to get some detail shots of the back because it´s more than just volume and curls.

If there are any brides out there that haven´t gotten married yet, let me tell you that the MOST stressful moment was before the rehearsal. In short, I should have expected this but I simply didn´t. My phone would not STOP ringing and my entire family didn´t have the freaking directions to the VENUE!! Then one of them gets lost and of course calls me. Someone else wants me to text them the address (HELLO?! What are the invitations for?!) and my phone just continued to ring away, elevating my stress. SO, if you know that this very well could be your family - PLEASE -- designate an INFORMATION person!!! Make one person solely responsible of these calls. They should have the address, directions, access to an i-phone (yup, the stoneagers here still don´t have one :P), and you should let all of your family know BEFORE your rehearsal that they can ONLY call them. And that designated person can call you if need be.

But thank God... that was the only big stresser. The actual wedding day was incredible. I am going to write several posts breaking down the moments to give you a better idea once I´m back from Spain. In the mean time, I´m having a crazy time here! We went HANG GLIDING in the coast of San Sebastian!!! We walk a LOT, which is good because we eat bread almost ALL of the time. And patatas bravas - diced potatoes with ketchup & mayo -- YES, please! Gotta love that cholesterol! haha. I also bought my first vintage camera!! Err, well, I bought two. I also bought a vintage kodak ad from Spain. I KNOW. But you guys, I am going to furnish my FIRST place!! You know I´m going to go crazy there with all my obsession with decor.

Time to go! Gonna eat some straciatella now! Ok. That´s Italian gelatto, but they have them everywhere here and well... Italy is much closer now. So that counts right?! ;)

p.s. We performed a salsa version to Dirty Dancing´s ¨Time of Your Life¨ at the wedding -- and yes, there was a video which I will post!!

In case you're wondering

What a person who is about to get married in 5 days is doing...

Trying my absolute best to not stress/freak out. I got to Houston a few days ago and it has been work, work, work! I'm so lucky to have Jose's family. They've been working so hard so we can finish everything by tomorrow night and leave the last few days for relaxation. So far we have:

Made tissue paper flowers

Wrapped mason jars

Burned candles

Spray painted frames

Spent too much money to prepare for Spain (REI -- took my whole paycheck!!)

FINISHED MY BROOCH BOUQUET!! (love it!)

And... got screwed on my hair.

Oh yeah. Get this. When I went to Houston to get my first wedding hair trial -- I was excited. I mean, come on -- you are going to get your hair to look like your wedding day hair. I researched projectwedding.com and picked the most reviewed bridal salon who actually got 5 stars. You know, I was feeling confident considering I'm not a fan of resorting to new hair places.

Before my appointment, I needed to do some stuff that required a person who was knowledgeable about hair. My friend put me in contact with this girl that I went to school with and this girl helped me out SO much. Sorry, I know this is relatively "vague" but I'm trying to respect people's privacy and also keep secrets about the wedding ;)

Moving on! I get to Houston, and bounce my way into the house-turned-to-salon room. My stylist? She's sweet and spunky. I hand her a document with tons of photos with the hair style I'm going for. I even include 2 pictures of styles THEY did, but tell her what I don't like. She ends up picking one of the ones they did, and starts to recreate it. I was really disappointed because she didn't look at me and say "Hmmm, okay... so I see what 'look' you're going for... so let's try this and maybe this."

Imagine hiring a photographer who pumps you up about a photoshoot and you imagine you're going to look awesome because they're supposed to be really good. You get to your shoot and your photographer says "Okay, so stand here and start posing." Umm.. awkward? But what if she/he told you instead "Run your hands through your hair, and then toss them up in the air and pretend you just had the BEST dessert of your LIFE."

That's inspiration. You're being guided. My experience just felt like vanilla wafers. It turned out pretty, but wedding pretty? Mm... no. But, was I being ridiculous? Perhaps, I have this idealistic idea in my head of what someone feels after getting their hair done for their wedding -- but I'm not exactly experienced in this department, ya know? Have you ever come out of a salon after an AMAZING haircut and feel like you are just looking GOOD?

THAT is what I wanted to feel.

I go home, feeling torn. I can't exactly pay for another hair trial, but it's not like I have anything else to compare it to.

I end up e-mailing the girl in Dallas who helped me and ask for her honest opinion. She doesn't like it. Fortunately she offers to go over the style with me and try out a trial with her. She even offers to take pictures that I can show the Houston stylist of what we created so the stylist can re-create it. We set up a time, and DO IT! I love it! We still needed a few changes, but I was so excited to work with someone so creative.

I invite her to my wedding and just blurt out "want to do my hair?!" She, also excited, says "really?? seriously??" And I say "why not? You are obviously good and we already got it pretty much figured out..." So she tells me she'll confirm in a few days. Time passes and she agrees. Days go by and we set up a second trial. The second trial does not work out so we set up ONE more trial before the wedding. She got a stomach virus that day so we of course had to cancel. The bad news? I was leaving for Houston that NEXT MORNING!

I don't hear from her and decide to call her today to see what's up. I'm assuming the virus has calmed down by now. I get her voicemail and leave a message. She replies with a text, and to summarize them for you in just a few words: I can't do your hair.

5 days before my wedding...

So, my friends. Tonight, I said "Forget it, I can figure this out." I just deleted the last sentence. I'll tell you after the wedding what happens :) !! Or if you're here Sunday, you can ask me ;) At this point we are so close, I'm not going to have a melt down because of an unreliable person. But I suppose I wouldn't feel this way if I didn't have a back up plan that worked out...

P.s. We have to pay for internet at the hotel so I may not be able to write before the wedding!! This might be my last words on my blog as Ms. Amador. But I want to remember these last few days. I feel anxious, excited, stressed, and SO SO grateful. I am just blown away by the amount of work and love my friends & family have contributed. Thank you guys for reading, for supporting me, for your encouragement, and your advice. THANK YOU!!! I can't believe it... this Sunday is the day we've been waiting for!!!

Leaving

via otleuser

I suppose since I'm not "excited" to be leaving, that's a good thing, right? I think I just recycled well over 300 pages, full of 2 years of notes, doodles, and questions. Somehow, four little burgundy, foil-wrapped, dark chocolates stared back at me inside of my pen container. I forgot about you guys. My little "sugar" stash. And now, I'm rushing to finish the last details of our office's website before I depart. My last day.

And in one month from today exactly -- I will be married.

I mean, how much symbolism can one day have? I'd like to say my "last office job" in my life because I have wrapped my legs around, literally clinging, my dream of going full time into photography once I step into Arizona. But what if God has other plans before that? Or during that? There is definitely the idea that I will be doing other things along with photography until I'm well established. Though I don't think it will be in an office.

While I'd like to devour the 3 remaining dark chocolates at this moment, I have papers to shred, hair to pull out of my head, and yellow heels that have to march across the parking lot to my little dented car in preparation for today.

Regardless, I have a wedding dress, an officiant, a venue, food, and a photographer. Oh yes. And the groom. So my hair may be a little crazy and the cake may or may not be a surprise -- but in one month, I'm getting married dagnabbit. Is that how you say that word?! Cause clearly I can't speak English well. Ask my fiance. He'll just tell you to have me say precision. Pruh-zi-shion. Sounds about right to me! When will he learn that I'm having his kids one day and guess who they will most likely sound like? Hmph.;)

Friday Links

This was taken in Arizona... where I'm heading to this weekend!

via Stephanie Fay

I can explain this. This absence... my behavior. In SIX days, it will be ONE M.O.N.T.H until I get married!

Married.

Like.. I wake up, get my hair done, and walk down the isle to commit to my fiance for the rest of my life. And dance. Lots of dancing. And pictures too :) Though I still haven't decided on a hair stylist (craaaap!!).

So you can see that I've been running around like a mad woman. Mainly getting ready to visit Arizona tomorrow, so the wedding planning itself has been frolicking in la-la land, ready to slap me when I realize what I've neglected.

To forgive me, I'm leaving you with my favorite links from the web that I'm pretty sure you will like too. Then you will forgive me, and I will tell you all about Arizona when I get back. Hopefully with an awesome tan. Or sunburn. You know, the order doesn't matter.

Mmmmmexican Sangria anyone?

My friend Meghan featured my Etsy site! Which now has the Art That Helps work up! 20 of us collaborated to create some art for YOU, where 100% of the proceed will go to Haiti. Promise Tangeman tells you all about it.

This girl's grandfather died, but she is honoring him by creating the CUTEST dresses and tops out of the clothes he left behind! I'm telling you -- PURCHASE worthy creations.

Wouldn't mind seeing this on my bedside table

Some inspiration for my upcoming move. You can bring NY to your home... even in the dessert ;)

I can see myself attempting to make this bedside cabinet

Oh my word. Libraries.

Dummy. I definitely thought the before was the after.

Drag queens meet Easter? Or just really creative people...

What a CUTE (and free!) stationary set.

Goodness, I love red.

LOL. These colorful piggies crack me up. Via ffffound.

He just wants to be a single lady.

If I was starting from scratch (meaning JUST recently engaged), I would be ALL over this wedding inspiration.

I got this AMAZING robe for my bridal shower (which was ridiculously awesome), and now I'm obsessing over this Etsy seller. Particularly her dresses.

Happy Friday everyone! Wish me luck finding our home this weekend (eep!!). And BTW -- I have to say that I got one of the most incredible gifts from my friends this week!! I can't do it justice by one line -- it needs its own post. That will be up next week. Ciao!