Things are moving along...

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, but a lot of things have happened recently. Namely, we decided on a lovely "save the date" card, which will likely be similar to the actual invitations. The cards were printed a little weird, so I had to send them back and have them re-printed, but I think they've come out nice now. Good thing I ordered them early!
Not too long ago, I actually found my wedding dress! I was so lucky to have my friend Lisa with me, who is also one of my bridesmaids. We went to this store called The Sample Rack on 9th and Pine in Philly. It's one of those places that only carries gowns that are "samples" from other boutiques, so their inventory is pretty limited, but it changes all the time. We were the only people in there, and I found a dress that I love. It was exactly what I wanted (even though I didn't know it) and I was able to walk out with the dress that day! I was so concerned about having to order the dress, and how long that would take and if there would be time to have alterations, etc. And here I was, walking out into the afternoon sunshine with a (pretty heavy) dress in a bag in my hands! Couldn't have been easier. And now, I just need to get the dress altered and fitted a bit more, but those things happen a lot closer to the wedding. Check that off the list!
We're working on finalizing the guest list (which gets longer by the day!) and I think we've found our photographer. For both Alex and I , the photographer seems to be the most important part of the wedding. Most of the planning books I've read have said that we should choose the things that matter to us most, and focus on those. Some people want an elaborate cake, or an over the top dress, but we're not too concerned with those things. For us, it's a good photographer who will capture all the moments of the day and will give us some wonderful memories captured on film. For Alex and I, this will likely be the only time all of our family and friends are in the same place at the same time, so we are are really excited to be able to capture all those moments and all those people all in the same place and time. We're also pretty excited to be able to capture some portraits on the beach, since that's now become a novelty to me! Hard to believe I grew up mere miles from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world!
So, with a few of those things checked off the list, I am beginning to get really excited for this big celebration!
Up next: introduction to the wedding party, and our possible officiant!

Advice

One of my favorite people here at work has been married over 9 years. I asked her for some advice on a long marriage and this is what she said (in paraphrase form): Treat your husband better than you would a stranger. Which is kind of an obvious thing, right? She said that you can't treat your husband like a sibling, picking on him or pointing out flaws, and you need to be supportive of your spouse, even when he decides to do something crazy, or when he might not be doing something well (or in Alex's case, he decides he wants to ride his bike across the country!). And if you would interact with a stranger by asking how they are doing or by being a nice person, you should always be nicer than that to your spouse.
I though this was pretty cool advice. Mostly because the advice is obvious, but it's not as easy as it seems. With stress, school, job, just LIFE, things get crazy, everyone get cranky and sometimes it's hard to remember to just "Be Nice".
Some friends of ours were married a couple years ago. In their wedding invitations, they asked guests to write pieces of advice on marriage. Another couple were married in a traditional Indian wedding, and the bride's married relatives came on stage with her to give her advice in marriage. Some other friends of ours asked guests to write encouragement or advice on small tiles which the couple made into a mosaic.
I love the idea of advice. I love that everyone has advice and I love being asked for advice or for my opinion because it makes me feel like people care about my thoughts and ideas.
So, I now propose to you: what's YOUR advice to a good, long marriage? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
xoxo
C & A

The Theme: Aspens

First of all, I would like to emphasize that "themes" of things like wedding are not really my thing. Trying to find something do develop a theme around for a wedding has been somewhat challenging, but we'll see how this goes. When Alex and I first met, he talked a lot about the Aspen trees in Colorado. Their leaves are an interesting shape, and they sound like running water when the wind blows through them. In a forest of evergreens, they are the only trees that change their colors (to a vibrant yellow-orange) in the fall, creating an amazing burst of fiery orange among the green. Aspens reproduce by sending up shoots from existing root systems, meaning that a grove of Aspens you might stumble upon are likely considered just one tree. Aspens are delicate, requiring particular weather patterns, snow, and elevations, so they don't just grow anywhere. I found this tree to be pretty interesting, something I hadn't seen or experienced, and I was so excited when we actually stumbled upon some on our hikes in Colorado. This past September, on a trip to Wyoming, we were lucky enough to catch some of the Aspens changing. What an amazing sight!

So, this is something we're trying to work with. Although Ventura, CA doesn't really experience fall (or have Aspens) perhaps this interesting little tree can be a starting point for the theme for our wedding. Nevermind that the wedding will be on the beach, surrounded by (hopefully) blue sky, seagulls, ocean waves and the smell of salt air. We'll just pretend we're in the Rockies, enjoying the changing of the Aspens.

About Us

About Christine

Christine grew up in Oxnard, CA,  the only child of Ron and Janet Reid. She grew up on Janetwood, enjoying hanging out by the pool or in the roller rink, and could never be found far from her best friend (and matron of honor), Randi. She attended University of California at Santa Barbara, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. She then worked at both Baxter and Amgen, two biotech companies in southern CA, before deciding to attempt to gain her PhD. She currently attends the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where she is pursuing her PhD in developmental biology. She enjoys city living, running, exploring the old neighborhoods in Philadelphia, dancing and the eternal search for the perfect beer.

About Alex

Alex was born in Santa Monica, CA, but moved to Colorado Springs, CO at a young age. Alex, the first of two sons born to Clare Wright and Bill Brown, grew up loving reading and the outdoors, and pursued those endeavors and others in the Boy Scouts. Alex attended both the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado at Boulder where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry and Biological Sciences. Alex currently attends the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he is pursuing his PhD in developmental biology. Alex enjoys triathlons, road and mountain biking, hiking, camping, gardening, and the occasional trip around the country (when his boss lets him leave!).

How we met

Alex and Christine met while attending the University of Pennsylvania. Alex was outgoing and always looking for new and interesting things to do. A common love of Mexican food (and the inability to find decent Mexican anywhere in Philadelphia), led them to dinner at El Azteca, a pretty terrible restaurant with a strict strong margarita policy. Soon, they were hanging out most weekends, usually in a pretty big group of friends. A first kiss at a Phillies game, and there was no turning back!

Can we get Alex to do a Headstand?

Courtesy of our dance studio - what a great first dance!

A New Start

We've decided to start this blog for a couple different reasons. Firstly, we'd like to try to chronicle our progress at planning our wedding. You seen, we live in Philadelphia, but are getting married in California, so there are bound to be particular hurdles there. Also, we'd like to provide a place for our guests to come check out what we're up to and to get information on the wedding itself (such as our wedding party, our parents and things to do in Ventura). We're hoping this will be a fun and funny blog (but we can't guarantee anything!). So, here goes!