Thursday, October 21, 2010

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.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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!

Friday, October 15, 2010

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!