Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Wedding Planning - Part 3

Next chapter of wedding planning: the meeting of the moms. This weekend my mother (MC) met my mother in law to be (PH). I've been nervous about this for a while. Especially knowing that my father has met them already. I was hoping and praying she doesn't find out on this trip. I have my mother at home until the 1st of December. Way too long to be harassed. This weekend was all about finding my wedding gown.

PH has never been gown shopping. She wore her mother's gown and her daughter eloped. She really wanted to have the experience. I like her a lot so it was a great idea for her to come. It killed 2 birds with 2 stones; she gets to come to NY for an experience and my mother gets to meet her. So we got her a ticket to spend the weekend of my gown visits.

PH arrived on Thursday afternoon while I was at work. So she had some time to get to know my mother. I did get home a little cranky. My job is enough to drive anyone to drink. I just get cranky. I did take off on Friday to take PH sightseeing. We made it a family affair. My fiance (JH) was able to get the whole day off. So we drove to Manhattan. We took PH to Rockefeller Center, down Fifth Ave, to Apple Store, then to FAO Schwartz. We caught the bus to 42nd St. We went to Time Square, ate at Bubba Gumps, played games at Dave & Busters then caught Puss N Boots movie at the Loews. After movie we made our way back to the car and back home.

Saturday morning we (JH and myself) took PH some more sightseeing before my first gown appointment. My first appointment was at a boutique in Brooklyn called Lotus Brides. Before we went, me and the mothers had a pow wow about what dress type I like, including pictures that I had. We found ourselves at Lotus on time. I had a great girl who helped me. I was very nervous. Saw and tried on some dresses. I liked one dress a lot but couldn't fit into it. This was a good start.

Sunday was a full day of gown hunting. We had 2 appointments: Kleinfeld's and David's. I was hoping to find "the dress" at Kleinfeld's an or David's. I came close at Kleinfeld's though. I had a picture of a dress from David's that I was excited about. However, when I finally got to try it, I didn't like it at all. But that's the breaks. I did enjoy the experience at Kleinfeld's better. They were more attentive and helped you into the gowns. The store is much prettier in person than on Say Yes To The Dress. Only downfall was that we couldn't take pictures. So no point of reference when you leave. By time we got to David's we found the service wasn't as great. Your rep doesn't help you into the dresses. So whomever you came with had to help you. All they did was help get you the dress. With the lack of help and food, I was getting very ornery. We were able to take pictures though. We did see some bridesmaid dresses there at least.

Overall I didn't settle on a dress yet. Just one close maybe. PH had to leave next day. It was a great visit. My mom likes her and she likes mother. There were times where I thought they were going to battle over me, but they were able to come out of it peacefully. I'm glad all worked out well. One possible drama has been thwarted. Now onto the next drama: guest list.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Hello I’m Savannah


For most of my life, being impervious to colds and accidents was just just my little lady luck staying by my side.  A year ago I found out that my little lady luck was Satan!!! Well actually not Satan but what I would like to call the higher branches of US government.

A few years before I was born my mother was desparate for cash so she signed up for an experiment conducted by the Pentagon. They told her they were trying to find a way to isolate genes that makes our white blood cells attack foreign bodies while some foreign bodies go free. They were looking to make super white blood cells that kills all foreign bodies but will ignore living and metal transplants. She participated for a year. Nothing really came out of her that they needed so they let her go. They paid her enough that she could afford to buy a house and survive for a while.

She eventually ended up working for the government as an aide for a senator in the House. There she met my father.  He was a charming man according to my mother. I never met the man. He left my mom when she announced she was pregnant. She raised me as best as she could. She had friends and some family helping us out in times of need, but we were happy. My mom said that I was such a problem free baby. I never got sick or injured.

A year ago, I found out that the gov’t has been trying to get ahold of me. They think I’m the key to germ warfare that has been plaguing our country for the past year. The Pentagon wants to dissemble me. The NSA wants to keep me prisoner to drain my blood when needed. I don’t care to be in either of these predicaments so I’ve been on the lam for a year. If they just let me live my life and let me contribute to the cause, I wouldn’t have an issue. They think they own me and therefore can do whatever they want to me. They thought wrong. I am not an object! I won’t let a man treat me like a possession, why would I let our government? Well it’s not my gov’t any longer. I’m going to defect. But will I be safe anywhere else?

An agent, Dillon, whom the FBI and CIA sent to apprehend me last year has been my angel. He has a conscience. He knew what was going on was not right, so he switched sides. He has been helping me get out of dodge. I’m rather fond of him. He’s been a great guy. Not to mention very easy to look at. He’s also AWOL (absent without leave). We’re like Bourne in Bourne Supremacy. We just aren’t trained assassins. Well maybe he is. We move around a lot but we also keep up with the gov’t's actions so we know how to proceed.

During our adventure we learned a few things about my condition. Well it’s not really a condition. I’m impervious to most gun shots. I doubt I’d survive a bullet to my head or my heart. Well I never tested that out and don’t plan on it. I have been shot. In matter of hours my body rejected the bullet. Seriously! It actually spit it out like Wolverine and repaired the damage. Both Dillon and I freaked out over it. Am I an mutant? No. Just a gov’t experiment once removed. I am curious what else I may be impervious to.

“Van, what are you scribbling down over there? I need you to be alert!” Dillon scolds me. That’s what he calls me. It’s his shortening of my name, Savannah.

“Oh nothing. Just thought I should write my memoirs.” I say as I close up the book.

“Your memoirs huh? Am I in it?” He chuckles.

“Depends if you continue to help me survive this.” I respond. Dillon is such a wise ass. I’m surprised he didn’t have any sort of comeback. He must be tired.

“Maybe we should find a place to rest.” I suggest.

“Nah, I’m good. We have to make it to Socorro by nightfall. We are behind an hour. We just can’t chance it.” Dillon responds.

“Sorry about the hold up in El Paso. I really didn’t expect to be so long.” I apologize to him.

“It wasn’t your fault. It was that incompetent women behind the desk. Made me think that she knew who you were and was stalling for time. That’s why I really want to make sure we are at our safe point by nightfall.” Dillon says, “We can’t take any chances.”

“Thank you again for helping me out. I jeopardized your life as well. If this is ever over, I owe you big time. I don’t even know how I can repay you for this.” I say somberly.

“You don’t owe me anything. What’s going on is not right. I was raised to do what’s right. Turning you in was not part of the equation. So don’t worry about it.” Dillon consoles me.

“I got to. I can’t have have such a huge debt.” I say with a bit of stubbornness.

“Fine, you can repay me by surviving.” Dillon looks at me with a smirk.

“Look, Socorro 10 miles!!” I exclaim. He smiles and pats my leg.

Does he know he shouldn’t do that? I have been harboring a crush on him since I saw him take down another agent. He looked so manly and precise at that moment. I was so enthralled with him that I wasn’t paying attention and I got shot in the arm. The person knew not to kill me, so they shot me where there were no arteries. He was good. Dillon was better. Without even a long range rifle, he manage to shoot the agent. By time this incident was over, I was bloody and Dillon was glistening with sweat. He looked so hot that I didn’t even react when he swooped me up and carried me into our getaway car.

Once we were safe, he looked at my arm just as my body was rejecting the bullet. It freaked both of us out. He didn’t talk to me for a couple of hours after that. That was a very lonely couple of hours. That’s when I figured out that he couldn’t like a freak like me.

“Earth to Van. We are here.” Dillon says managing to bring me out of my head.

“Already?” I mumble in disappointment.

“What? You still want to be sitting in the car?” Dillon asks a bit too sarcastic.

“Whatever” I mumble.

He shakes his head and gathers our stuff together. I follow him to a house that’s isolated. He opens the door for me. I enter thinking the place would be dirty, but it was spotless. I turned to him and he gave me a big smile.

“I had a pal come clean the place.” he says as he walks past me to a bedroom where he dropped my bags. “I’ll be in the next room.”
Then he leaves me.

I flop down on the bed. The room was nicely decorated. The walls were off white or cream colored. I got up and walked to the dresser to find a note addressed to me. Well not my name but “to the woman traveling with Dillon”. Curious, I open it and closed my door. The paper inside read as follows.

“Beware of how close you get to Dillon. He will betray you. He will protect you. Not out of the kindness of his heart but for monetary reasons. He may have a reason to keep you safe. For him to protect you I assume your life is in danger, but I do know when the heat dies down, you will still be in trouble. Make an exit plan as soon as you can. Please by careful.”

It was signed, “A Concerned Party”.  I read the letter again. Glad that Dillon didn’t take time to inspect the room. My adrenaline is soaring now. I don’t know what to make of this letter or what to do. I’m scared. Dillon knocks at my door as I stand staring at the letter.

“Hold on a sec.” I say as I fold and tuck the letter into my purse. I walk to the door and open it to see Dillon in sweats.

“You hungry?” he asks.

“Not really. I’m a bit thirsty though. Do we have any Orange soda left?” I ask as I leave the room and head towards the kitchen with Dillon in tow.

“I think you drank the last of it in the car.” he responds.

“Well let’s see what’s in the fridge.” I say as I open it up.

“Looks like we got some Orange Soda” I say taking it out of the fridge. I also took out a tuna sandwich for Dillon and gave it to him.

“Thanks. I told my pal what you liked.” Dillon says as he bites into the sandwich.

“So who’s this pal of yours? Do I get to meet him or her?” I ask.

“No, the less people know about you the safer you are.” Dillon says once he swallowed his bite.

“Okay, whatever you say” I respond and take a gulp of soda. I’m too thirsty to be ladylike.

“You sure do drink a lot of Orange soda. If the government actually watched the consumption of it, they’d be able to track you down easily.” Dillon quips.

“Hardy Har Har. You’ve got jokes.” I respond giving him an exasperated look.

“What?” he asks trying to sound sincere.

“Nothing.” I say and walked off towards my room for the night.

I was about to shut my door when Dillon puts his foot in the way.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird since we arrived. Have I done anything to upset you?” He asks.

“Nope nothing at all. Do you mind letting the door go?” I ask him nonplussed.

“Seriously Van, what’s with the cold shoulder?” he asks as he moves his foot out of the way.

“It’s nothing. I’m just tired. I am a bit cranky. I need some sleep.” I respond. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay,” Dillon says, unsure. I can tell he doesn’t trust my answer but he’s not going to argue. He turns and heads for his room.

I close the door and head to my suitcase for pajamas. I take a nice hot shower. I felt all warm and toasty when I get out. I slip on my pjs and flop into bed. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I hit the bed. I had no worries about today or my predicament. Just blissfully comfortable. I will worry tomorrow. Tonight I sleep.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Solitaire Free


One of my first games on my iPod that moved to my iPhone was Solitaire Free. I figured all phones should have a solitaire game. I didn't want a game that only had one type of solitaire game: Klondike. I wanted a game that had numerous. However, I didn't want to have to pay for it. I found Solitaire Free.
1
Solitaire Free contains a variety of games, but not all that I wanted. It didn't contain Pyramid solitaire. The game consists of the following games.
Baker's Game & Baker's Game Easy:
6
2
I thought this was like Freecell. I still don't really know how to play this game. All logical steps to me don't work. The instructions are not so clear either.
Demon:
Photobucket
This game looked interesting. Never heard of it before this game. I read the instructions 5 or more times. I tried the game. I finally understood the game and got hooked. It is one of the hardest games to play. You never ever win a game in 3 tries. I even played this game offline and played with a real deck of cards. This game still fascinates me.
Klondike 1 & Klondike 3:
4
3
This is the standard solitaire game we all know and love. Difference in games is that you can draw 1 card versus 3 in the other. Drawing 3 is more challenging than 1.
Spiderette:
5
Spiderette is a more petite version of Spider that we used to play on Windows PCs. It's not a great solitaire. It does catch your attention when you first learn the game. Then your attention fades. It's not a game I'd look to play when I'm bored. I'd rather choose Klondike or Pyramid.
Yukon:
8
This is just a backwards Klondike. It's a fun game. I really don't have much to say about this game because I already discussed Klindike. It is worth playing though.
Overall this app is a good free, solid game. I'd like if they had more games. The slots in the menu they have for the additional variety of the 2 games, Klondike and Bakers, they could've put 2 other games. They could make the 2 additional variety a menu change in the respective game. Guess that may be too much programming for a free game. However, there are a lot of free games with better programming. I will not knock this game. It good for its purpose.

Solitaire Free can be found in the iTunes App store for free.

[iOS]

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wedding Planning - Part 2

Wedding plans are moving along. I don't know if it's moving along gracefully. We picked our date: June 16, 2012. We had picked a venue previously, Bellagio, but has since changed. Wedding dress will take place in November when my mom is here.

Venue:

So we had originally chose Bellagio as the venue for a wedding. We both love that hotel. We chose a package to our liking and pockets. It would cost us $9,000.00 for the package.

This package does not have a reception so we would have had to look elsewhere. Since the package included a dismal amount of pictures, I was trying to work with the Bellagio's photographer, since I was not allowed my own photographer. That was ridiculous. Other places would say yes but for an additional fee. So I was trying to get a wedding book of 200 pics, and 3 parental book of 100 pics, and about 50 wallet sizes. This is a pretty typical set to get. My personal photographer has his package for $2,000.00. This is not a personal discount either. That's what he does [enter hyperlink to his site]. I also asked him for a disc of the 200. Apparently he must've thought I was Kim Kardashian or something, because this man wanted to charge me $5,000.00 for the pictures alone. I didn't miss beat asking him if he could lower his prices. After all the pictures do not mean anything to him besides money.

Amidst the strife with Bellagio, I was told about a place called Lake side Weddings. I checked them out and their packages. This place has 4 things going for them:

1. It's gorgeous
2. It's outside near water (I have a thing about water.)
3. The packages include both the wedding and reception and it is significantly cheaper than the Bellagio.
4. I can use my own photographer.

This place is great. I had my father go check it out. And it's true to its website.





 I am excited by this place. So long Bellagio. Hello Lakeside Weddings. Only thing is that this place is not on the strip. We'll probably stay at the Bellagio on our wedding night. And leave the next morning for our honeymoon.

Wedding Dress:

So I had mentioned before that I had an appointment at Kleinfeld's on the 20th of Nov. Well I made another right after at David's Bridal. My mom wants to venture around before our appointment. Fun fun fun. One must know that this is the part that I am dreading. I am not a frilly woman. The whole thought of dress shopping gives me the willies. I do want to make great memories and look nice.

Guest list:

This is still a fight with my mother. We have finally settled with an agreement. She was to back off and I will send my aunt an invitation for her plus 1. I have booked a 50 person package, but she doesn't know that. I'd like to keep it that way. I have up to a month before the event to change my venue. I'll probably end up with just a package of 20 people instead. This would make life easier. I really not going to worry until January/February.

My photographer is my brother-in-law. He will be doing the pictures for his room & airfare for him and my sister. Of course I'm booking the least expensive room and flight. I'm not made out of money.

We bought our rings this weekend. They should arrive Nov 12th. I will have to remember to declare them on my homeowner's policy when they arrive.

I plan on taking a break from planning until January. I really don't have much to do until then. I will have to do invitations, favors and registry.

We will have to book our honeymoon too. That's a toss up between Bora Bora or Hawaii. We're leaning closer to Bora Bora. We have the patience now for a long flights. I wish there was a way to say we want cash gifts on our invitations. We really don't need anymore stuff for the house. I'd rather them help pay for the honeymoon.

I'm excited to marry my fiancé. There are times that I feel like this is too good to be true. Sometimes I feel that I am dreaming all this up. I am just so happy I found a guy I'm so comfy around. Who loves all my weird quirks and moodiness. Who best of all loves me so much that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. As the song says, "somewhere in life, I must've done something good."