Channeling patience thanks to Haruki Murakami

"The most important thing is to not let yourself get impatient," Reiko said. "This is one more piece of advice I have for you: don't get impatient. Even if things are so tangled up you can't do anything, don't get desperate or blow a fuse and start yanking on one particular thread before it's ready to come undone. You have to figure it's going to be a long process and that you'll work on things slowly, one at a time. Do you think you can do that?"

Excerpt from Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood

It felt like Mr. Murakami was talking directly to me, telling me to STOP! WAIT! And listen to my instincts.

The metaphor of yanking on a thread is also brilliant.

(Photo by a friend taken in Guatemala)

My wedding is featured on Rent The Runway's blog

Click here to see the post and scroll down to number 8! They love Antigua, Guatemala as much as I do. Small victories here.

If you aren't familiar with Rent The Runway, they are a fashion company that allows you to rent and borrow designer dresses, outfits, and jewelry. One of my bridesmaids actually rented her gown for the occasion.

Thanks Rent The Runway!

We tied the knot!

I don't know where to begin.

He asked me to marry him and I said, "obviously yes!"

We planned our dream wedding in Antigua, Guatemala with help from Saguzo Eventos.

We tied the knot and celebrated in true diva fashion.

We created countless memories with help from our amazing guests. Everyone laughed, cried, and SANG karaoke!

And now I'm back in NYC with my new husband and I couldn't be happier.

P.S. Can somebody please pinch me?

(Photo by Christina Craft at FunkyTown Photography)

Guatemala bound!

If all goes well and the Nor'easter(!!) passes, I will be Guatemala bound tomorrow at 5:30 AM! I want to thank everyone for their support and for helping me plan my dream wedding. I can't believe it is almost here.

In no particular order, a big thank you to...

Eric, Erica, Mrs. P, Mom, Jake S., Kate K. Gladys Santizo, Olga Santizo, Kate at Pronovias, style me pretty, flight attendants on flight 611, pilot on flight 611, Pocahontas, Kate N., Beth C., Lizzie T.A., Christina C., Alex Z, Candice D., 100 layer cake

...wait a minute...

This isn't going to work. The list could go on and on like a bad Oscar acceptance speech.

Thank you everyone! You know who you are!

... Why would "B.B.Q at Best Man's" be weird? [Doorbell Ringing] Oh, my God, Greg. ...

This is a picture of Eric and I when we got engaged (I promise, more on that later).

With less than 24 hours before I leave for our wedding, I've contracted wedding fever. Please keep your distance; wedding fever is contagious. Symptoms of wedding fever include: giddiness, excitement, bouts of crying, excessive smiling, and an inordinate amount of thinking about your future husband.

It all started last night when, instead of sleeping, I lied in bed and thought about all the funny movies that had wedding themes (Meet the Parents, Father of the Bride, My Best Friend's Wedding, Bride Wars, The Wedding Singer, amongst others)and the funny one liners from them. I laughed over and over (in my head of course, because Eric was sleeping) at this scene from Meet the Parents:

...Why would "B.B.Q at Best Man's" be weird? [Ding Dong].
Oh, my God, Greg. I was sure I told you.
Kevin is Bob's best man. This is his place.
Kevin, your ex-fiance? Hey! Welcome, everybody.
I don't understand. How does he know Bob?
[Grunting]
Well, they-- they went to lacrosse camp together, and Kevin was the one who introduced Bob to Debbie.

AWKWARD!

Great delivery Ben Stiller, thanks.

Weddings are a great backdrop for funny or unusual situations. I can't wait to share some funny stories from our wedding.

First, I have to find a cure for this fever!

Book binge

I've been on a bit of a book binge lately. I read well over two thousand pages in the month of September. Perhaps all the reading was my way of procrastinating on my wedding to-do list. There are only 2 days left before I leave for our wedding extravaganza in Guatemala and I can't bring myself to finish the final items. Would you believe that I still haven't packed?!

Now that we know I have a to-do list that is as long as Mt. Kilimanjaro is high to complete before leaving Friday, one question remains: what books do I bring? I'm an indefatigable reader, so I need a few good selections.

I'm thinking of finally finishing Gandhi's Autobiography that I started a few months back. It comes highly recommended from some avid readers and could also provide me with some much needed insight on how to live a more fulfilling life.

For Eric's birthday I gave him two books on photography one is instructional (The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman), so I'm thinking of bringing it with as well. Antigua is a great locale for picture taking.

Any other book suggestions?

Quick side note: look at this gorgeous copy of Lady Chatterly's Lover that Anthropologie sells. There is an entire collection of these beautiful hardcovers. The collection done by penquin is fashionable and certainly travel worthy. Just picture yourself in an airport somewhere exotic, reading a book form the collection. How lovely is that?

Monday Monday

There are only 12 days before my nuptials and 4 days before I leave for Guatemala! All the last minute planning has got me in overdrive and giving me a small case of insomnia. I've tried everything to shut my mind off and get some rest, but I'm too excited.

I took this picture while doing some last minute shopping for my honeymoon(more on that later)at Jeffrey New York. Isn't it adorable? I definitely need some inexpensive psychiatric help right about now!

What does everyone do to soothe and relax their minds? Read? Sleep? Meditate? Pray?