Friday!!!

We did it! Another week down! And yet its almost just the start of hecticness all over again..haha. All well. The mamma comes today and im excited to get our happy hour on! But for now its Fill in the Blank Friday time. Just gotta love the little things we do blog...one of my favorite blogs to follow!! Happy Friday everyone!

1. I am looking forward to sunny weather! I am so over this rain right now. But other then that..

2. Something kind of embarrassing that I still love anyway is Vanessa Carlton, love her..my guilty pleasure along with High School Musical 3. When they dance on top of the roof. Love that scene. I just love dance scenes in movies in general I will watch them and remind and watch it again…

3. My favorite car is I wouldn’t mind another Honda they get good gas millage. But ide love a lexus and some sort of SUV..would be great for all my parties…I could get so much more in if I had a bigger car .

4. If I could pick one type of weather to live with for the rest of my life it would be 65-85 degrees. I feel like that would be the perfect range of weather. Having some days a little cooler or a little warmer. Sigh..if the weather would only cooperate.

5. My favorite thing to do after a bad/stressful day is take a long country drive. Drives are my best friend for bad days great days and thoughtful days. My best ideas and realizations have come through drives. There’s nothing like windows open and the sun setting to make you realize that things really will be okay.

6. This weekend is OSU’s moms weekend. And even though im not a student here I still work here and still kind of feel like I’m one at times. So my mamma is coming down today. We are going to happy hour, hanging out with some good friends, and pedicures tomorrow before she heads out. Sunday we have another dinner party. Another busy weekend!

7. If I were a color, I'd be Yellow because, it has the ability to be so cheerful and happy and yet calming all at the same time. And I think sometimes that can be me.

PS: Did you not LOVE LOVE LOVE Kate Middletons Wedding Dress! I knew she wouldn't dissapoint and she looked flawless. I think i might have to just dedicate a whole post her :)

Have a Simply wonderful Weekend!

So much to do...

This is kinda how I'm feeling right now.........

This has been a jam packed week. This last weekend I feel proud to say that I didn’t totally waste it away lounging and not attempting to get prepared for this week. But even though I thought I had a good start somehow Thursday has arrived and my list of things to do is never ending. The worst part, im trying to think about when I can do everything I need to do and im not coming up with any spare time. Monday night I spent shopping and prepping for our dinner party for the dean on Tuesday night. Tuesday ended up being a late night at the deans house but thankfully the dinner went great. Wednesday night I should have been more productive, but it was the first night in awhile I was able to just finally sit down, and we had some friends stop by, so being productive and visiting don’t really go well together. I woke up this morning thinking that once I got home from work I could do work on this house and my room. But then I remembered im going to this Fashion Show tonight. Clean vs. Fashion show…hmmm.. yeah. We know what I’ll be doing. My mom is coming for Mom’s weekend tomorrow and with a house in disarray and another dinner party on Sunday. Im not sure when all my house work/ shopping/ prep for dinner party/unpack from this weeks party/ pack for sundays party/ moms weekend is all going to fit in. Especially since I work every day. Sigh…im almost just waiting for next Monday to arrive….oh wait…next week is a pretty hectic week around the office too…

Kinda feeling like this lady is onto something....

However, this one could be onto something too...if i only had time to bake....

Anyways...Happy Thursday...Hopefully everyone is chugging through those to do lists...

Wedding Wednesday Time

Here is what I'm in love with this week/ been in love with forever.

Fete New York. AKA my favorite wedding planning company ever. Jung Lee who runs the company with her husband is basically my Wedding Coordinator hero. I love everything about her! And am so sad that her show didn't last on TLC. It was amazing! Her ideas are so original and elaborate and i love how she takes personalizing weddings to a whole other level. You should check out her website. Full of inspiration.

sigh...wednesday wedding dreams...

This weekend was a mix of productiveness and fun.

Friday night me and a couple of my girlfriends went to Downward Dog to sip on some yummy Blackberry vodka tonic's. they were delish! And a great deal! Only $3 on Friday's! Can't beat that! They have such great late night happy hour deals!

Saturday i was up early and made my way to the waterfront for a little Saturday market action. It was a beautiful sunny morning so it was great to walk around and look at everything. We have a dinner party on Tuesday so I had to get flowers for the arrangements. I settled on yellow and pink tulips. Aren't they gorgeous!?

Saturday was so nice and sunny that we decieded to attempt to have a BBQ. However we do live in Oregon. In the couple hours leading up to people arriving the weather went from sunny to cloudy to windy. And almost impossible to even light the grill. But us oregonians are used to such things. It didn't stop the BBQ from happening thats for sure. We just moved ourselves inside. And ended up having the most intense session of catch phrase ever! Great game and overall it was a great BBQ. Maybe next time the sun will stick around.

Sunday i was up early to bake my famous Ginger, Coconut, Carrot cake with Cream Chesse Frosting! It was so yummy! Me and a few close friends went to Salem for the Easter Service and Dinner with my parentals. My mom always makes the best easter baskets and i think she topped herself this year. They were great! The rest of the day was spent napping and watching the horribly cheesy William and Kate lifetime movie. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday

Thank goodness its Friday!!!!! This has week has had so much going on and I am ready for a break and to situate myself for next weeks dinner. And its friday so its time for a little blank action!

1. Fridays are my favorite day. It’s a time to relax have a cocktail and be with friends.

2. Long country drives, beach trips, white chocolate mochas and weddings make me terribly happy.

3. Something that inspires me is …well recently I’ve been inspired by the book Shift, about “re-branding” your life, business, and other aspects of life, it’s interesting how some basic concepts can really be transferred into many aspects of your life .

4. If I had the day off today I would take off to the back for a few hours and enjoy the little of the nice weather we are apparently only getting for today then maybe a little window shopping .

5. If I had to put a label on my home decor style, I would say my style is modern, classic, homey. I can’t wait to have my own house so I can really make it a modern, classic, homey home. Right now it has parts of this concept but someday ill have my dream house…

6. Concerning politics I would say I'm ...hmm..i have opinions about some things but at the moment ide say im somewhere in the middle.



7. I'd like to go to Greece so I could get up in the morning and look out to see the most beautiful blue water ever..sigh.. I wanna go on vacation..

Wedding Wednesday

My obsession with weddings is evident by the 20 wedding blogs I follow…well maybe not quite 20 but I do religiously follow a handful…or two. Here are a few things I’ve fallen in love with this week.

This gorgeous wedding dress seen on Once Wed

ummm I don't think i need words for this one.

I love this wedding program. It have a sophisticated fun box office theme in their print materials.

Beautiful Head Piece over on Style Me Pretty

Love this picture.

Just some Wednesday weddings to dream about.

A year later

Today marks a very special day. Cinta Dinners, my small business officially started a year ago today. I am so proud of what has been done this past year. It has been a learning experience in every way possible but with every dinner and with every client we are getting stronger and better. We have been blessed with great hosts and support through this last year and it’s only because of that we have been able to balance our everyday jobs, school and life with this business. As we go into this next year I am excited to see what opportunities we come upon and to see where the business will go. I am so blessed to have a wonderful business partner who is the most talented chef I’ve ever known :) We inspire each other with each dinner and have way too much fun through it all. I’ve never worked so well and so in sync with someone before. Sometimes is just baffling. It is safe to say that we have a lot to celebrate and a lot of look forward too. So here’s to another great year for Cinta!

Weekend

This weekend was a much needed break from my normal weekend activities. I’ve been itching to switch the décor around in my living room and I came to the conclusion that I was totally over how things were looking and it was time to put some spring life back into the house. And with my roommates parents coming to visit and an anniversary celebration for my businesses one year milestone I wanted the house to look fresh instead of stuck in its winter rut. I completely re did the décor on my piano and switch a few other things around. I scored on some awesome flowers this weekend that have just totally changed the look of the house. Very bright and cheerful at the moment :) I also got to pay a visit to the mamma in Salem! We went to breakfast at the French Press and I had an amazing breakfast crepe complete with mozzarella and red peppers and it was delish! I also picked up beautiful chandelier earrings at Blackberries boutique across from French Press. They were my splurge of the weekend! But definitely worth it!

Over all a very productive weekend! And with such a busy fun filled week ahead of me its good to have my home looking in order and beautiful. Here is a preview of what my dinner table looks like for tonight’s little dinner party. And another wonderful Monday tid-bit, I am now officially a staff member of the College of Pharmacy. Lots to celebrate this weekend :)

Blank Time

Thank GOODNESS it's Friday! My girls compete at Nationals today and I am OH SO EXCITED!!! I have a feeling today is going to be a very good day! Annnnnddddd I think i'm going to start doing Fill in the Blank Friday's!!! I've been following The Little things we do and it has become one of my favorite blogs! You should def check her out! But anyways.....Happy Friday!!! 1. My favorite daily responsibility is, I don’t exactly do it daily but I don’t mind cleaning the house...its almost relaxing at times, especially once everything is back in its place .

2. My least favorite daily responsibility is, laundry..i hate laundry with a passion and yet if I just did it my room would look so much better .

3. My favorite cuisine to eat when going out is I love going to new restaurants and trying something new but if it’s the same old restaurants I usually have some sort of usual..lately been loving my sushi though.

4. My favorite cuisine to prepare at home is Quick and easy cuisine? haha if its during the week im up for whatever I can get on the table quickly, and easily.

5. Andy Warhol said that everyone is famous for 15 minutes. My claim to fame is ummm yeah...no fame...

6. If I could have 3 wishes I would wish successful wedding planning business, my own house, travel the world.

7. My biggest pet peeve is ..when people lie straight to my face and think that im really that big of an idiot..especially when its something not even that important…even if I believe them at the moment..things somehow always end up coming out then im just not happy.

Life as I know it..right now...

The last couple weeks I’ve been having these conversations with myself about who, what, where, why I’m doing the things I’m doing with my life at the moment. Thinking about what the future could hold and where I would like to ultimately end up. I truly believe that everything that has happened in my life has happened for a reason and is only preparing me for what I’m supposed to do with my life. I feel so blessed that I clearly know what I want to pursue with my career and have found something that I truly feel at home doing and feel confident in my work. If you know me at all, you would know that I have a love for entertaining, for having people in my home, making things happen for those around me and for planning events, dinners, and ideally hoping to someday plan the dream weddings every girl hopes for. With this in mind I know that where I’m at right now isn’t where I ultimately want to be but I do believe it’s the right place for right now.

About a year and a half ago I made the huge decision to take a break from my studies here at OSU. It was a huge decision I struggled with for months in trying to decide if it was the right one. If this was something I would regret. I came to the conclusion that it was the right decision for that point in my life. Paying for college and life on my own, I couldn’t justify another massive loan when my heart wasn’t in it. I decided to find a full time job and then re-evaluate things in a year and see where I was at. Seems to be how I’ve been doing my life lately. Change happens and at the end of the year I start to re-evaluate where I’m at and where I want to go. I was fortunate enough to have found a job doing what I hope to end up doing with my life, event coordinating. I would be working for Chemeketa Event Services, the downer of this job, it didn’t pay the best and it was in Salem. And despite being offered another job that paid more I took the event coordinating job. And the experience alone was worth it. I learned so much about the catering aspects and well basically every aspect of running an event. I also more importantly learned how I wouldn’t want to have my business run. I loved my job while I was there, but the politics and the way some things were run made me realize the importance of having a strong foundation of a business and networking and making sure your customers were happy to your fullest extent and the little details were what made or broke things. Customer service was what it came down too. Good customer service and going out of your way to make things better. People notice that. People notice when you step up and go out of your way. That’s what I want my business to be now and forever. I want it to be a business where it’s not out of the ordinary for things to be exceptional.

Anyways, now that I went on a tangent. I’ll get back to my point. After about nine months working in Salem and commuting and working my ass off I started to question if it was the right thing to do. My hours became un-guaranteed and with gas prices rising and money not coming in it was time for a change. I originally told myself that in a year if I felt good with where I was at I would think about moving to Salem to keep working there. But I didn’t feel good about where I was at. And at that point in my life it became about finding a job that could get me back on my feet financially.

Through the world of connections I was given the opportunity to work for the College of Pharmacy in Corvallis, where I lived, and where I made more than I did in Salem. It was the right decision for me at the time. I would work as a temp with the possibility of becoming a permanent, aka, benefits of working for the college!! And now that I’m at the 9 month mark of this job I am almost officially permanent. This job has been a blessing. They are supportive of my small business and with a great staff and students here it has been a great place to work. And I do see myself here for at least another year, but although my dreams of wedding and event planning have been on the sidelines the last year it is still my passion. Sometimes the dreams and goals we have can’t just happen with the drop of a hat. You have to work for them. Work for the opportunity. And you have to be willing to work hard for things to happen. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. As I came to the re-evaluation of where things are at in my life this year, I’ve decided that this next year I will stay exactly where I’m at. However, this will be a year of planning, and organizing. I see big changes in the next year or so. I just want to make sure I’m as prepared as I can be when they happen.

Shout out to my girls!!!

Today is a big day…well this weekend is a big weekend. But today the OSU Gymnastics team heads to Cleveland, Ohio! The team is off to Nationals! And I couldn’t be more proud! These girls have worked so hard this year and it has all paid off. Their rankings kept getting higher and higher. And now that they have brought home not only the PAC 10 Championship, and won Regional’s, they not get the chance to bring home a National Championship! And more than ever it is right within their reach. So good luck to all my girls at Nationals! And to my two seniors, you two are beautiful and inspiring everyday! Mamma And loves you all! :) Good Luck Ladies!!!

In love.

I’m in love. With Joe Simon Wedding Films. Well I’m going to admit that my love for weddings is huge. I love looking at pictures I love reading about them, I love researching them, I just love everything about them. So it should be no surprise that I would love wedding movies! However, I am way to picky for my own good. I have now been spoiled by Joe Simon Wedding Films that I now compare every other wedding film I see to his amazing films. They truly are amazing! Like grab a tissue box, you don’t even know these people, but you could cry good! If you know me you have probably seen this wedding video already, but it’s one of my favorites, well almost all of his films are my favorites..haha. So ladies Enjoy!

Kelly + Brian's Wedding Highlights - Dayton, Ohio from Joe Simon Films on Vimeo.

A new turn in blogging

Every Monday through Friday my day starts with the same routine. I wake up, I get ready for work…and couple days a week I splurge on coffee at my new favorite coffee shop Coffee Culture, then head to work. Along with checking messages and e-mail, if I don’t have something vital waiting for me in the morning I take a few minutes to go through my favorite blogs. These include a variety of wedding blogs, cooking blogs, and a couple of people’s personal blogs. I’ve really grown to admire these bloggers. Their inspiration, thoughts, ideas, and day to day activities have captured my attention. I find myself drawing inspiration from their décor, recipes, and thoughts and ideas. I’ve always thought it would be fun to start my own blog, however, the whole task seems daunting. I have started a blog for my business, Cinta Dinners, but I haven’t been as dedicated as I should be too it. But I am going to try this one more time. This time with a blog that is more personal. Basically a place for me to put my own thoughts. I’m sure no one will read this but it would be nice to have an outlet that I can access where ever I may be at the time. So this time I will not only write about the event and things I love in life but also the things that make me think and wonder. The simple thoughts that make life what it is and how it’s lived. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll write something that make a little sense to someone else other than me. And also..im really going to try to post three or four times a week. At least thats the goal for now. Have a simply wonderful Monday!