10 becomes 11

And just like that, it's a new year. We kicked off 2010 by welcoming two new members to the family. Jake's cousin KP had a beautiful little girl and cousin KM had a handsome baby boy. The year came to a close with my parents purchasing a GIANT house in a suburb of Portland.


Last year kept us busy, especially the second half of the year. I had hoped that 2010 would be spent enjoying being engaged and getting the big ticket wedding items out of the way. Life had other plans for us.

Going into 2010, we knew we had a full dance card. We were officially invited to 10 weddings, but were only able to attend 8 of them. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed every wedding and every moment of the weddings. But traveling so much takes a toll on one. And after the first couple of weddings, you start to tire. Multiple times we were told "you don't have to go to all of them you know?" Well, yes and no. How do you tell friends A that you aren't going to go to their wedding, but yet tell friends B that you will attend theirs when friends A and friends B run in the same circle? It's not possible. So we went to all of them. Well almost. We had to split up for 2 of them since they were on the same day on opposite coasts! We cancelled on wedding #9. The madness known as wedding season started at the end of May, and by October we were plain exhausted. Wedding #10, oh how I wished we could have gone to #10. It was held in Indonesia! We would have been able to not only visit Indonesia, but a side trip to Bali as well! But alas, we had already received 5 save-the-dates by the time we received #10's and they gave a full year's notice.

Luckily for us #11 never materialized. There were tentative plans, but the couple needed a break from planning their overseas nuptials. And then there was #12. We weren't invited since it was just an intimate backyard shindig, but we did get an announcment in the mail. I actually thanked the newlyweds for not inviting us since I wouldnt' have been able to say "no'.

As for our own wedding plans. We found a planner. Picked a date. Decided on the perfect venue. Choose our wedding party. Sent out round one of  our save-the-dates. Designed our wedding invitations. Signed a photographer and had a photoshoot with him. I not only found my dress, but have it [under our bed]! I also found a dressmaker to create a one-of-a-kind Chinese dress. And lastly, we started our hunt for a caterer to tackle our taste buds. Not too shabby right?

While we were learning to be engaged, we also learning how to live together. And not just together, but with another person period. I haven't visited this topic since I made mention of it over a year ago. Neither Jake nor I have lived with roommates since college. It's been one heck of a learning experience and we continue to learn each day. It's not easy. We have different tolerance levels when it comes to clutter and dirt. We have different ideas on chores. And while we have similar tastes in overall decor, we have differing tastes when it comes to decor. Maybe it'd be a moot point if Jake didn't come with bachelor furniture (black leather sofa and black furniture) and I came with nothing (yes, even after living here for 3 years I didn't buy anything; I was planning to move back to OR after a year or two). Like I said, we continue to learn and I'm sure we will be learning for years to come.

2010 flew by. It threw everything including the kitchen sink at us. I'm happy to see it go. But I'm also scared of 2011. I'm afraid that it'll go by just as fast if not quicker; August will be here before we know it. Writing 2011 on paper also makes everything seem so much more real. It's surreal to be plan a wedding (especially when I'm not the type that has dreamed about it since I was young), but it's been in this semi-dreamy state. Now make believe time is over, it's time for the real thing.

Here's to 2011. May it be peaceful and slower paced than the last, so that we can enjoy it.