Secret Lives Of Bees: The Joey Edition

Um HI!  I was a blogger here a long, LONG time ago.  Well, it feels like that anyway.  I was thinking about things people may not know about me that were crazy and exciting, but I couldn’t really think of that ONE BIG THING so I decided to share a few smaller things.

• I don’t really like cheesecake, doughnuts or frosting.  I know.  I know.  I can’t explain it.  Actually, I can explain the doughnuts.  I had a doughnut a few hours before I got really “sick” and the taste coming up really stuck with me.  Sorry TMI.

 

• One of my favorite snacks is feta with tortilla chips.  I don’t know how I came up with that.  Now Mr. Joey likes it too.

 

• I was mock charged by an elephant.  It’s a long story but I rounded a corner and there is was.  It scared me, I scared it and it did the ears flapping – feet stomping thing they do before the charge.  I turned around and took off and apparently it did the same.  The owner of the property I was staying at saw the whole thing and thought it was the funniest thing ever.  That will teach me to stay at a lodge on an elephant corridor. 

I wonder which of these guys mocked charged me.  Sorry, it’s not a particularly flattering picture.

• I honestly think I should have been a spy.  I can blend in just about anywhere a spy would be needed.  I’ve been mistaken for someone who is : Indian, Bengali, Thai, Fijian, Mexican, Portuguese, Ethiopian, Chechen, Armenian, Turkish, Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, Mongolian, Pakistani, Zambian (not ethnically), and Cuban.  I also blend in in most of Europe, Africa, Canada and South Africa.  I’m telling you, I could have been a spy or something like that.  Actually, I think the reason I get to travel so much for work is because of my ability to blend in. 

 

• I’ve been involved in a few international incidents that are definitely spy worthy in a very comical way.  Let’s just say someone thought I was WAY more important than I was and I got assigned someone to tail me.  This “tailer” used let me know he had been in my apartment by leaving the TV on (after I’d unplugged it in the morning) to the Cartoon Network.  He also helped himself to an afternoon cup of tea pretty regularly.  I used to leave him chocolate once in awhile.  It was my way of letting me know I knew he was “visiting” but I didn’t mind.  I like to think that it wasn’t a mistake that someone was assigned to tail me but more that I was practice for someone way more important in the future.

6 Months Later

Hi Hive! I know I said was taking a break but then I realized today was our 6 month anniversary and that I had something to share.

Yes, if you can believe it, Mr. Joey and I were married 6 months ago today. Some days I feel like we got married yesterday, and some days I feel like it's been years since we walked down the aisle.

Now that I've had time to step back from the wedding and let the rest of my life (or rather our house) take over, I can really appreciate the wedding.

Immediately after the wedding, all I could think about were all the things that went wrong and all the things I’d change (part 1, part 2, part 3). I regretted parts of it, wished I invested more and asked for more help.

The funny thing is that I don't feel that way about it now. I couldn't remember most of what disappointed me about the wedding when I sat down to write this post. I actually had to read over my Heartbreaker post to revive my memory.

Heartbreak #1 : the first dance song. Something happened with the PA system and the singer sounded like a frog. I was made and sad about but thinking back on it now, we just laugh. All I can remember is giggling with Mr. Joey about it while we danced and catching a glimpse of our friend Larry, the guitarist, trying not to bust out laughing. When I hear the song now, I don't think about how the singer sounded, I think about what a funny but lovely memory the dance is.

Heartbreak #2 : The wedding no shows. Yes, that was lame. We had 10 guests who didn't show but did RSVP for the wedding. We checked with a few of them, and they did have genuine family emergencies. Those who didn't show up? Who cares. Seriously. They missed awesome food and great people. Lake Union Cafe packed up their portions of the food and Mr. Joey and I enjoyed it the day after and it was yummy. I honestly can't remember who didn't show.

There were a few things I wished we'd did like hire a DJ or expand on photography.

I don't care that we didn't hire a DJ and that our wedding wasn't an all night dance party. When I think about it. I remember how fun the money dance was and how much fun I had dancing with 4 or 5 of my friends. Sure we we're the only ones out there for a couple of songs, but we tore it up!  And our father-daughter / mother-son dance more than made up for the general lack of dancing.

The photography? I still think an engagement session would have been useful but then I look at our pictures, and they came out just fine. We have way more pictures than we know what to do with. We still haven’t had a single one printed. I'm bad, but I'm going to get on it. The shots we have, we love. We'll probably only display a few pictures from the wedding in our house, and we have about 100 options.

One picture related wish we had was to have a complete family picture taken with my parents, MOH Joey and BIL Joey. BIL Joey was in training for his deployment, so he couldn't come to the wedding. A few months after the wedding, we had Kat (AKA Mrs. Cherry Pie) of Persimmon Images take some family portraits and take care of that little wish. They came out great.  Here are some of my favorites

I’ve seen a lot of threads and posts from disappointed brides about their wedding lately and want to tell those ladies that you’ll love your wedding soon enough and forget about all the things that went wrong.  I still get compliments on my dress, the stationary, the food and the overall look of the venue, and you know what?  Those are the things I adored about our wedding and those are the things the guests remember 6 months later.

For those still planning, I just want to remind you all to take some time to relax.  You might have a few minor mishaps, but it will all be fine.  Trust me.

OK, I’m done preaching.  I’ll see everyone in 6 months.  :)

One Day You’re In, The Next Day Your Out

Or married. 

Well that’s it, the whole shebang.  We planned, we wed, we partied and we survived.  The whole thing was very surreal.  Some days it was too real and other days I felt like I was living in a dream (and sometimes a nightmare).

I really enjoyed sharing our wedding with everyone and I hope the hive found my posts interesting but helpful.  I seriously get really excited when I see people mention on the Boards that they are trying Craigslist out for wedding related needs or are thinking about poster invites or Goodwill makeovers.  I hope flower girl poms, short dresses with bright shoes and funny t-shirts as bridal party gifts get more popular too.

I’m really sad to be “out” of Weddingbee for good, so I won’t be.  We’ll just say I’'ll bee on a very extended leave of absence from the wedding planning scene.  I’m sure I’ll have projects to share that can be wedding related. 

While I won’t be blogging here, I will still be blogging.  You can find Mr. Joey and I documenting our house building and decorating journey at Forty Twenty Four.  I hope some of you will “hop” over and say hi.

I love this place, it really helped make my wedding experience.  I hope it won’t be too long until I hop in for a hello!

Love,

Mrs. Joey

Love in Grey and Yellow : Train, Planes and Koalas?

After we left Cairns (pengy, can you link the last honeymoon post?), we headed south to Brisbane aboard the Sunlander Trans-Queensland train. We wanted to see more of the Australian landscape but knew we didn’t have time to do any driving ourselves so we boarded the train for a 24-hour trip.

Mr. Joey enjoying the first class cabin.

It seems like a long time to spend on a train, but the journey was actually really enjoyable. We packed provisions (lunch, some dinner and breakfast), a few good books and kicked our feet up.

We saw some amazing views from the train and we even caught a few Kangaroos hopping along side the train. I felt like we really had an Australian experience after that. I didn’t get any pictures because the train was moving too fast. Poop!

We got into Brisbane in the evening the following day and decided to just have a chill night. We had lots of excitement planned in the morning.

At 9 AM, we caught a river cruise to the Lone Pine Koala Refuge. The actual river cruise was really nice. It was fairly warm and we both learned a little about Australian history. Also, the residential architecture in Brisbane is stunning. We both wished we had taken this trip before we started designing the house.

Do you remember this picture from my pre-recap teasers? Well, it’s time to cuddle!!!

Meet Pepsi. Yes, her name was Pepsi. She was super cuddly and didn’t stink. A lot of people told us they smelled but I didn’t notice. I was afraid that for some reason it would “go to the bathroom” on me. It happened with a lizard once and now I always think about it when I’m holding anything other a cat or dog.

Pepsi was a little tired and fussy. Each koala does a 30 minute photo shift every two weeks and we were Pepsi’s last clients of the day. She had a bit of a “walkabout” on me and it took a few minutes to get her to relax and smile.

The Koalas at Lone Pine were some of the most active we’ve ever seen. Koalas at zoos always seem to just be sleeping, hugging or eating.

After snapping a picture with Pepsi, we picked up some Kangaroo food (similar to rabbit food) and headed in the the huge fenced area. There are no Lone Pine attendants, just you with a few of these

and these

I think the Emus were scary. The roos were really chill. We just walked up to them with food in our hand and they just hopped over and ate right out of our palm. Actually, a few ran away from Mr. Joey.

We also saw some of these sleepy guys. Oh, they are sooo cute!

We both really loved Brisbane and wished we had more than 2 days there. When we go back to Australia, we’re definitely spending more time there in addition to adding Melbourne to the itinerary.

After some koala cuddling and joey feeding, we hopped on another plane back to Sydney for 2 final days in the land down under. We ate more buttery seafood, did some shopping and enjoyed a lot of wine.

The view from our room. We stayed in a different part of town.

We also enjoyed a picnic in the Royal Botanic Gardens and took in some really lovely views.

And a little more wildlife. These guys just fly free like seagulls would in Seattle.

We had a fantastic time in Australia and would go back in a heartbeat. Anyone else heading down under?

Love in Grey and Yellow: …the Hotel Lobby in Australia

So after the After Party, Mr. Joey and I enjoyed a lovely Sunday with our families, spent Monday packing and opening presents and on Tuesday jumped on a plane to Australia.

I was a little worried Mr. Joey wouldn’t make it.  My flights for works average about 22 hours one-way, so Australia wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.  He thinks trips to see his parents in South Carolina are too long. 

Thankfully he survived and even though he wasn’t the happiest camper, the flying was totally worth it.

I’m sorry that I don’t have too many pictures to share from our trip.  They were lost when my computer died.  I did manage to salvage some though.

We started our trip in Sydney.  We stayed at the beautiful Sofitel Hotel (thanks Priceline!) downtown just minutes away from the Opera House and Harbour. 

We did the usual seeing the sights, riding the ferries to lovely neighborhoods, checking out all the awesome shopping.  One of our favorite things was going to see Aida at the Opera.  MIL Joey gave us tickets as a shower gift.  The show was AMAZING!  I still can’t believe we saw an opera there.

The view as we walked up to the Opera House.  We’d be poor if we lived in Sydney.  I’d always want to go to the opera.

Two other really great things we did while we were in Sydney at the beginning of the trip were visit the Powerhouse Museum of Science and Design and the Sydney Fish Market.  The Powerhouse Museum had some really cool design exhibits that we loved.  The Fish Market was an odd choice but a friend said we had to go there for at least one meal.  It’s the second largest fish market in the world but you could smell it way before you can see it.

Mr. Joey discovered a new love for grilled octopus.  I know, sounds weird but they were so good!  Actually, everything was ate there was delicious.  Hands down the best seafood I’ve ever had and living in Seattle, I know seafood.  Everything melted like butter in your mouth.  We went with a Grilled Seafood Plate for 2 and got about 10 different seafood delights to sample.  I wish we had made a second trip to the market!

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Seriously, the octopus is good!

After Sydney, we hopped on a plane headed north for Cairns.  Shouldn’t all honeymoons include tropical weather and time by the pool?  We spent about 3 days on land exploring the area, hanging by the pool and of course eating more seafood.  We spent 2 days and 1 night on a liveaboard ship that does snorkeling trips.  It was sooooo coool!!!  Everyone was super friendly, the water was warm and the Great Barrier Reef was way more than great.  It was stunning.  One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!

The light areas are where the reefs are really tall making it seem shallow in the water.  Again, I wished I had more pictures. :(  We saw a giant clam as big as I am, lots of beautiful fish and coral and even a few sharks.

They lowered the dive deck into the water at night and snorkelers could put their face into the water while sharks swam by.  Um, yeah, we passed on that.  We went on a total of 6 snorkels while we were there.  I really loved that we did this.

Next up, we head for dry land.

Planning After the Wedding

After the wedding was over I thought, “Well, that’s that.  No more wedding planning for me.”  My sister is already married and most of my friends are too.  I figured I’d be done with planning but you know what, I’m not.  Guess what?  Remodeling/Building a house is like wedding planning.  Who knew?

Well, someone did.  My co-worker joked that remodeling his kitchen was like wedding planning all over again.  I didn’t understand then, but I do now.  Here are some ways wedding planning are related to remodeling/building a house.

First off, there are SOOOO many decisions.  What style of house or wedding are you going for.  French Country?  Modern? Art Deco? Ranch style?  Then there is size. Will you have 100 guests at the reception or will you be building with the intentions of someday adding to your family?  Let’s not even get started with color.  I could talk for days about color.  Color of the floors, walls, ceilings, tile, etc.

Second, there are just as many people involved in putting a wedding together as there are putting a house together.  Bridal parties, photographers , plumber, architect.  Here are a few things I figured out about the players

1. Main contractor = DOC

2. Lowe’s or Home Depot = Michael’s or JoAnn’s

3. Bridezilla = Home Ownerzilla

4. Weddingbee, Snippet and Ink, etc = Apartment Therapy, Coco + Kelly, etc

Third, the Budget.  Pretty bathroom tiles or flowers mean not as pretty light fixtures or just a minimoon.  Budgeting for the house has been hard because just like wedding planning, I didn’t realize how much things cost.  You budgeted for the church and building materials but did you budget for the mandatory premarital counseling or the extra permits? 

Fourth, now that I’m not looking for wedding inspiration, I’m finding it everywhere.  For example, I was looking for Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stencils for a project (see below) and thought it would be cute to stencil my own table runners.  Oh, I could have done that for our wedding.  That would have been really lovely, simple and inexpensive centerpiece base.

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Or how about these for centerpieces for a fall wedding?

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I saw this on Apartment Therapy and thought they’d be a cute alternative to carving.  But you know, they’d be super cute at fall barn wedding too.  The flower girl could even carry in a basket of little pumpkins. 

Lastly, sometimes you just have to DIY.  Can’t find the ring pillow you want or the perfect table?  Have them custom made.  We did both.  We sewed our own table runners and now I’m about to make my own living room rug with the stencil above. 

Planning our wedding has given me more DIY confidence.  We’ll see if that’s a good thing or a very bad thing.  Have you found your wedding planning skills to be useful after you said I DO?

P.S.

Here’s the partial result of our “home improvement” project from back when I was put on a crafting ban.  We didn’t want to finish it completely since we’re moving.  I think we’re going to paint the edged of the racks in a shade of blue (TBD) to match the color scheme of our living room.  We’re also going to attach the two racks together with a shared shelf in the front.

Love in Grey and Yellow : After the Show It's the After Party

Did I ever say that we LOVE Jay-Z?  I secretly think Mr. Joey lived in Brooklyn near the Marcy St. subway station because he lived near there once.  I have seen Jay-Z worked into his US History lesson plans too.  Hmm…

Anyway, like the song says, after the show it’s the after party and an after party it was!  It wasn’t crazy but the perfect mix of friends and chillaxing we needed.

We went here and did as the bar’s name said and had lots of fun

More drinking?  More fun?  I guess I can do that.

Hurry up and get here – we’re having fun!

I LOVE these shots!!  Aren’t our friends hot?

  Time to drink and let your hair (or mine) down

  You know the last person right?

A few details

 

Two OVERJOYED people!

We loved the after party partly because it meant the day was over and but mostly because we got a chance to hangout with people we love so much.

Like the song says…

After the show it's the after party, then after the party it's the hotel lobby…

…in Australia!

All images by Persimmon Images