My blog has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 6 seconds. If not, visit
http://blog.benaimfletcher.com
and update your bookmarks.

30 January 2010

Snow in Chapel Hill

I have lived in North Carolina since July 2006 and this is the worse snow I've seen. Not that it was bad, but it'd definitely the most accumulated snow. It's kinda like a hurricane category 5 warning when only a category 1 or 2 shows up. Since I've lived here, we've gotten 1-2" at most each time it's snowed. Not this time! When we went to sleep last night, we already had a couple inches. Around 8am when I went outside, there was about 5-6" already and it snowed on and off all day.

Work was closed today and reports are already in for tomorrow closings. At this rate, we might not even be open on Monday either! That's just crazy to me, but I totally love it.

Even spraining my ankle on a rogue covered up hole can't dampen my mood. I love this white flaky prettiness!

Beautiful night time snowfall, Friday evening.

 
My new car is already covered!

This was around 8am Saturday morning on top of my car. Roughly 6" of snow.

4" of snow and 8-9" of puppy... you do the math. :)

Lola with one of her BFFs, Tobin. Yes, he's an Irish Setter & she's a Miniature Pinscher.

One of her other BFFs, Brindle. Lola was totally body slammed but got right back up to play.

She was walking in my footprints to sink less. By this point it was about 5-6" on the ground.

29 January 2010

It's Been Awhile

Where have I been?

I've been sick! Steve and I both have the crud that's been going around Chapel Hill and have had it for over a week. Not only that, but when I'm feeling ill, I don't feel like writing.

No wedding plans have been touched. I haven't been knitting my veil. I haven't been working on the invites. I have, however, been sleeping and watching TV a lot.

Also, since I'm in my final semester for my MBA classes, I'm trying to stay on top of the homework. Yep, I'm kinda failing miserably at it since all I want to do is sleep.

But I will leave you with a funny picture. Right behind our apartment is a .8 mile long cement trail through the forest. Yesterday 2 women and 3 children were hanging out on one of the benches. The kids were drawing all over the trail with sidewalk chalk. This morning during my 7am Lola-walk, I spotted the following picture and just had to take a picture of it. #randomchalkdrawingweddingreference

19 January 2010

Married Name Email Address

apparently rebecca fletcher, & most all variations of it, are taken on gmail. #marriedname

whatcha think: ribfletcher, beccafletcher10 or fletcher.becca for my #marriedname email addy? currently is becca.benaim

beccafletcher42 is also available

beccafletcher42 it is..



I have always identified with my name. Not the "duh" statement that it sounds like, but because my father named me after him. That is, he gave me his initials: RIB. And in just shy of 9 months, I will be losing my awesome initials. I made the decision not to hyphenate and to just have 2 middle names. My mom did it, but uses her maiden name on legal documents instead of both. I just don’t feel right saddling our kids with a huge last name just to keep mine. I am thrilled to be taking on Steve’s last name.

However, I will go from being 100% unique to quite common. Every time I Google my name, I know I will be every one of the results. I was told a few months ago by a friend that I will be the third Rebecca Fletcher on her facebook page after I change my name. Utterly common. But hey, my name will be easy to spell and pronounce!

This morning a twitter friend mentioned securing her married name’s email address. I tried so many different combinations before finally landing on benaimfletcher42. My maiden, my married, and the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. 42 is also the binary number of our wedding date. Oh yes, I went there. I admit to my geekiness!

42 is also something I've been contemplating for my next tattoo...

16 January 2010

Ring Dishes & Ketubah!



i'm totally getting these for Steve's and my mama's for the wedding! http://bit.ly/8D37Ry

I was perusing etsy tonight and flipping through my favorites. And saw these little ring dishes. How adorable are they?! Oh, I'm totally getting one for myself as well. I'm thinking of this dish: http://bit.ly/4zQjB9 either keeping the claddagh or replacing it with a 4-leaf clover or something Celtic. I have no idea why, but I'm totally drawn to Irish/ Celtic things. Maybe my grandmother was Irish. I like to think she was. I mean really, we're all freckled with blue eyes. A girl can pretend, right? ;-)

Have you purchased ring dishes? What did you use it for or did you just hang it on the wall? I'm picturing ours hanging near (probably underneath) our beautiful ketubah.

And on that note...

packed up the ketubah paper & the deposit and will be sending it to @swoonoverit on Monday! it's really happening!!! #wedding

It's going out on Monday! I cracked open the paper package tonight for the first time. It's beautiful and thick white paper. The hardest part was finding something to ship the paper to Amanda totally flat. I ended up finally finding a scrapbooking paper keeper and putting thick cardboard on either side of the 15 sheets in the keeper. So exciting!!

15 January 2010

Weighty Journay

according to excel**, i need to lose 30lbs to be where i was when i bought my wedding dress. not as much as i thought. have 9 months to go.


So this was amazing to figure out. I actually don’t have all that much to lose to be the weight I was when I bought the dress. 30 pounds in 9 months? That’s only 3 pounds a month if my math is correct. And, well, since the wedding is less than 9 months and I might need dress alterations, we’ll say 6 months to lose 30 pounds. That still works out to be only 5 pounds per month. Oh, plus a whole lot of jiggly arm fat reducing exercises. Since my dress is strapless. And cuz it looks gross.

I think I might actually [try] stay up at 6:30am after Steve leaves for work and I walk Lola. That extra 90 minutes of sleep, while amazing, makes me feel like I hit a wall and it takes me forever to get back out of bed. Perhaps it’s the snuggly puppy curled against me and the warm covers, but whatever it is, it sucks. And I do have a decent amount of energy after our brisk walk in the sub-freezing temperatures. I could *gasp* do a workout DVD then take my time getting ready for work. I could actually make breakfast instead of grabbing a yogurt and swinging by Starbucks for either a bagel or spinach feta wrap and a Venti chai. Sure, I’ll miss my chai, but it may help me lose weight to not drink so many of them!

This is kinda my accountability. I figure if I write about it and have a goal in mind, I may do it. I’m just so lazy! No, not lazy, would rather sit and knit then sweat and exercise. And don’t say pool, cuz me and bathing suits have a long history of mutual hatred. =)

Inspiration. And not even the smallest I've been in my adult life.

**Yes, I tracked my weight watchers journey in excel... what of it? ;-)

12 January 2010

it's another "TweetMyWedding" post =)

Since I haven't figured out how to feed my twitter into here, I decided to do another @TweetMyWedding type post. So here's a few tweets from today, both wedding and not wedding related.  OK, more not wedding..


how random, a former co-worker that despises me (told another former co-worker) reads my blog semi regularly... interesting.

This one just flat out amused the shit out of me. Yes, I have tracking on my blog for a reason... reasons like this! A few friends had theories on it, but whatever, it's not my business what she does, nor do I care enough.  It was just good for a laugh this morning when I checked my blog stats.


possible #MBA class ring. whatcha think? http://bit.ly/4rdAv8 oh and it's $125

contemplating for MBA ring: "persistence pays" "a long time coming" "no regrets" "make the fam proud" "be a success" all totally apply! :)

Yeah, so I'm not sure why I want a class ring so badly. Maybe because I didn't get one from UF, the school I truly identify with. Maybe because my high school ring was stolen. Maybe because it's tangible as opposed to the $75K piece of paper hanging on my wall. Either way, the link above is really similar to my gorgeous wedding ring. I have 2 other possibilities with huge center stones, but this one is my favorite. And the purple and gold are ECU's colors.

As far as the engraving tweet, I decided that since my name will be changing 5 months after graduation, I don't want it on there. Sure, the diploma will have my maiden name, but whatever. I want something that reminds me of why I spent 5 years and $75K pursuing my MBA and why I didn't give up all those times I was frustrated with classes or professors or classmates.

My leading favorite is "Persistence Pays." Which one do you like and do you have other suggestions? Oh, I'm limited to 18 characters.


sweet! both the main & business graduation ceremonies are the same day. no need for 2 nights at the hotel #MBA

So, last week I booked 2 hotel rooms in Greenville for graduation. I emailed my wonderful and amazing adviser yesterday to ask when the College of Business graduation ceremony is to see if it was also on May 7th. When she replied, she didn't know and suggested I book Friday as well. I held off, but luckily I got an email from COB this afternoon stating it was at 5pm on Friday! Main ECU graduation is at 10am on Friday.

Now I just need to decide if I'm going to attend both ceremonies or just the COB one. If I only attend the COB ceremony and we're still living in NC, I can probably cancel the hotel altogether and just drive to Greenville Friday morning. It's the main ceremony that requires the hotel room since it's at 10am.

The COB ceremony is when I have my Master's hood, umm, presented to me by a faculty member of my choosing. I already know who I want to ask to present mine. He was my professor a few semesters ago and has been really helpful whenever I had a question about my MIS concentration – he's the Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of the MIS program. Yeah, he's awesome.


seems like the dress gods (& y'all's comments!) are telling me to keep the dress. 4 more months on the boards, then will start alterations.

After posting on facebook, twitter, here and livejournal, the response was overwhelming to keep the dress. This is going to be a lot of hard work (on me) and most likely a lot of money (on the dress) to be able to wear it in Vegas this October.

Wow, I can't believe that the wedding is "this" anything. One of my co-workers pointed out that on Sunday it was exactly 9 months away. Umm, wasn't it just like 13 months away yesterday?? Time is F-L-Y-I-N-G!


in royal, which? http://bit.ly/84fGJt or http://bit.ly/4nmtdC

I currently own the first linked pair of shoes. I am also still on the Zappos mailing list for any new Annie shoes that they stock. The second link appeared in my email this afternoon. The first pair is almost plastic material – I can't really describe it. The second pair is satin and I can't tell if they'll be more comfortable. Which do you think? Keep in mind that they're for October in Vegas.


can you get a ring engraved in most jewelry stores? even if it's titanium? we didn't engrave wedding rings when they were made :(


I think this is self-explanatory... I started thinking about it again when I was looking for engravings for the grad ring. Any local (Triangle area, NC) readers know jewelers that engrave on titanium?


i seriously hope Gary puts Amber in her place. Love Catelyn & Tyler. think Farrah needs to focus on sophia. & hope Ryan grows up for Maci.

why yes, my name is Rebecca, i'm 33... and am addicted to #TeenMom


It's true, I love the hell out of this show. Have you seen it yet?

11 January 2010

dress hack job


ok so I'm a total dork and put together this hack job of adding legs to the shortened dress.

thoughts?

You don't alter Vera to fit you, you alter yourself to fit Vera

It's not a Vera by any stretch of the imagination, but I just love that quote for it's complete asinine-ness.

My dress situation is weird. When we got engaged in April 08, I ran out and bought the dress I’d tried on all 3 times I’d gone dress shopping and was crazy in love with it. A little less than a year later, we completely changed our wedding plans from big family and friends bash in Miami to tiny vacation week with a few family and friends in Vegas.

Most of you know that I’ve been trying to sell the dress. What you might not know is that it’s been on wedding boards since May. Realizing a sale may not happen, at least for the amount ($400 + shipping) that I want to recoup, I’m debating hacking up the dress. Yes, I said it, hacking it up.

I figure that one year on the classifieds boards will tell me the feasibility of selling it. Therefore, I am giving myself until May for it to sell. As in 4 months from now and around the time of graduation. This also gives me time to alter myself. Sad as it is, and for a very happy reason, I have gained a ridiculous amount of weight since purchasing the dress. Sure, the dress DOES have a corset back and DOES allow considerable loosening or tightening. But just how much do I need to drop to feel good wearing it again? That is the true question.

   
Clearly, I took these pictures :)

My question to you, my lovely blog friends… do you think this would look good at knee length or slightly longer? With maybe a dark blue petticoat underneath?

Sure, I don’t want to spend any more money on it, but as Meri pointed out, I will be spending money on a replacement dress. So if I can manage to alter it to my liking for about $200, the max I was planning on spending for a replacement, can I really complain?

10 January 2010

Dress LOVE

Oh wow oh wow ohwowohwow... I am in LOVE with these dresses!

Wait, back up and rewind. I was scrolling through my RSS reader and catching up on the eleventy-twelve feeds I read, including about 50 wedding blogs. Yes, I have an addiction! I was scrolling through the 200+ entries on WeddingBee and clicking on the interesting titled ones, I saw "Closing the Book on the Dress Search" and *click*...

Instant love.

I knew I wanted a knee-length or tea-length dress and have been drawn more and more to the fuller skirts. Oh yes, OffBeatBride makes me drool with the multi colored petticoats and mmm, love it.


Seriously, how super cute and flirty are these dresses?! And best yet, they're totally customizable for the fabrics!  Oh yes, I could see myself wearing these dresses over and over again.

More pretty pictures! And more along the lines of what I'd like mine to look like. <3

What do you think?

07 January 2010

Plans for 2010

A few years ago, I resolved to never make resolutions since I always break them. I do, however, wish on shooting stars and on my birthday time (9:16), on our wedding time (10:10) and, of course, on birthday candles. I saw this on Ashley’s blog and thought it was a great idea. Also, I learned her name. to me she is @brideonbudget and the hands forming a heart in the sand. Yes, the majority of my twitter friends I only know by their screen names and avatars.



My 2010 Plans...

One thing I will learn: how to talk more. This sounds funny, right? I know, I can talk like crazy, but it’s mostly about fluff and non-important things. I’ve spent so much time hiding my true feelings from so many people that it’s a big change to actually be open and talk about them now.

One place I will go: Vegas! Well, that’s a given since we’re getting married there. I’ll also go see the Grand Canyon. I’d love to go somewhere tropical (not Miami!) but I don’t see that in the [financial] cards for us this year.

One physical habit I will break: only walking Lola until she does her business. I will walk in circles until she goes, when I could actually be walking a good length of the trail, which is 1.7 miles one way. While I am lazy, it’s also been below freezing outside and the quicker I’m back inside, the better.

One physical habit I will cultivate: wake up earlier than normal and do a 20 minute workout DVD. Raise your hand if you think it’ll happen.

One mental habit I will break: no more Debbie Downer on my background and work skills. I know I am really talented and have so much to offer, but always doubt myself.

One mental habit I will cultivate: do homework in advance and stop waiting until the last possible second to start it. Especially since I won’t have my study buddy to push me anymore this semester.

One relationship I’ll repair: my older brother. He’s had all sorts of problems lately that I’m not going to get into here. I’m mad at him for it and don’t call him nearly as much as I used to.

One thing I’ll throw out: the 3 bins of clothes that I keep dragging from apartment to apartment. And by throw out, I mean donate stuff in good condition and use the rest as cleaning rags.

A second thing I’ll throw out: my yarn stash that I never plan on using. I hoard yarn, shove it in big clear blue boxes in the corner and forget about it. The less I have, the better, since I typically buy new yarn for each project. I rarely dig into my stash. I know, I'm a bad yarnista.

One thing I’ll eat more often: vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I love my veggies, but I also love them cooked to the death of their nutrients – in oil.

One thing I’ll eat less: you think I’ll say fried food or fast food right? Nope, I try to avoid that stuff. But I will say I’ll eat less... in general. No more Steve-sized portions for me. (sorry, love)

One thing I’ll drink more: water, even though it’s already my drink of choice.

One thing I’ll drink less: venti non-fat, no water chai latte’s from Starbucks. I could drink one every single day if time allowed me to scoot over there. While they’re not horrible for my body, the $3.75 does add up once the gift cards run out.

One work habit I will change: does getting an MBA-worthy, wicked high paying new career count? As much as I love and adore my current job and co-workers, I just can’t afford [financially] to work here much longer.

One overdue e-mail I’ll send, or overdue phone call I’ll make: I’m not sure. I’m usually pretty on top of phone calls and emails.

One resentment I’ll get over: It's not really a resentment but... feeling like my Christmas trip was a waste. Even thinking that way makes me upset since I love them all to pieces, but yeah, that’s how I feel. The easy answer would have been resentment at my wedding dress. But whatever, that’s just a piece of clothing.

One person I’ll treat more respectfully: my mom. I tend to get bitchy easily when I talk to her, especially after a long day. It’s easy to forget that she doesn’t know what happens to me throughout the day and I expect her to just know.

One thing I’ll spend less money on: shoes! Seriously, downfall.

One other change I’ll make in my finances: continue to attempt to pay off my credit cards by wisely using the very last student loan check from school.

One thing I’ll spend less time doing: sitting on my butt, computer in my lap, tv turned on, knitting. That was all one thought and how I typically spend my evenings. Perhaps I won’t change the knitting part since I do want to start selling some of my work.

And a thing I’ll spend more time doing: hanging out with Steve during the precious time we have together between school and work time. He means more to me than anyone else and I really do need to show my appreciation more.

What about you? What would your list have on it?

06 January 2010

My Own @TweetMyWedding Update

At the request of my practically-sister-in-law and all around amazing woman, I need to write more. The problem is that much of my wedding related topics are posted to my twitter feed and then I just forget to post about them here. But then, isn’t that the whole point of having a blog... to be able to expand on those 140 characters of text?

So here goes... in the format of the @TweetMyWedding blog postings that many of my friends write for.


ARGH!! why must people say one thing then change their mind after over a month?! this damn dress is never going to sell. #stuck

wow, a consignment shop only offers 40% to the consignor? there's no way my dress'd sell for $1000 to get the $400 i want to make recoup.

i have about 1 month to decide on keeping, selling or burning the dress. Brides against Breast Cancer comes to Raleigh in early February


These were posted yesterday about my wedding dress sale. The latest with the sale is, well, rather disheartening to me. I have been emailing back and forth with a potential buyer for about 6 weeks. We discussed Vegas, honeymoons, family, and more during that time. On Monday when I was expecting the “ok, I just sent the money via Paypal” email, instead I received one that crushed me. Never in the 6 weeks of communicating was there a hint of fears of making such a large purchase online. I actually told her about the previous potential buyers that backed out at the last minute and she assured me that wasn’t going to happen. Yes, there was more to the email and I do believe she genuinely feels bad, but that doesn’t help me any.

I am about ready to just burn the dress. Don’t worry; I’m not stupid enough to burn a piece of clothing with an $850 price tag. (Not that I paid that much for it...) It is perfect in every way: unaltered, never worn outside the store, clean, corset back for a variety of sizes. Only I just don’t love it anymore like I did nearly 2 years ago when I purchased it. Unfortunately, no bridal salon offers refunds. My entire style and viewpoint on wedding dresses has changed. I no longer want big and poufy; I want streamlined and something that can be worn multiple times. If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve seen my new choices.

There isn’t much that I can do now. It is still posted on a variety of wedding classifieds sites and I re-posted it on eBay Monday evening after I got the email. So there’s that.



i think i might need these for #vegas! bit.ly/8QGBkr the personalization is "SF 42 RB" since 101010 is 42 in binary. #geek

Click on the above link. I really want these shoes, but not just for Vegas. I love Chuck’s. While I do think they’re exceptionally fun, they also have a $62 price tag. We can barely afford to pay our rent let alone buy $62 sneakers.



awww my baby bro & his girlfriend are coming to my MBA graduation! i love them so stinkin much

Yes, I will be an MBA graduate exactly 4 months from tomorrow. I need to book our hotel rooms since they’re rapidly filling up. What, you mean I’m not the only graduate from ECU in May?


i made some of the tastiest perfectly golden brown fried chicken for dinner. makes up for the burnt grilled cheese from lunch..

This was just funny. I’d made grilled cheese and tomato soup for Steve and I a few days ago. My grilled cheese is as basic as can be: butter on both sides of 2 pieces of bread, a slice of cheese in the middle and then cooked in a frying pan until golden brown. Only, this time there was no golden brown, only burnt. It was annoying! Later that night for the Gators bowl game, I made the most perfectly golden brown chicken wings. There wasn’t a speck of burned flour on them. And oh boy... were they delicious!?


So now, don't you feel properly updated? Yeah, I didn't think so. =)