Love and large-link chain

I was thrilled when Jocelyn asked about this copper bib from my Etsy shop and offered to send photos for my portfolio.

She already had her dress picked out for her rehearsal dinner, and she wanted a necklace that wasn't too long. This works perfectly: I love the contrast of the copper and the mint green.

She also looks stunning in the pic with Ben on their honeymoon. They both look so happy! I would be, too, if I were in Turkey, Italy, and the Greek Islands.

Jocelyn and Ben live in San Francisco and met five years ago at work. Of course I had to ask about the proposal.

"Last summer we were driving down the 1 on the coast and stopped for a day of hiking in Big Sur. Halfway through the 9-mile hike in a place with an amazing view of the ocean, he read a poem he'd written that chronicled our relationship and ended with the line 'So marry me — just say you will.' And I did."

I'm always touched when I see people wearing my jewelry, especially when it's on a special occasion. So thanks, Jocelyn. I wish you and Ben joy as you walk through life together!

Bride Rush: A simplified checklist

In November, Bride Rush published my article, A Simplified Checklist, about how to plan a quick wedding.

(And no, I was not planning a quick wedding. I first worked with Anita Malik, the Bride Rush founder, when she was the publisher of East West magazine.)

I had fun interviewing wedding planners Nancy Liu Chin (who's a sorority sister from Cal!), Darlene Wilson, and Lisa Stoner. They have such a wealth of knowledge and experience, the article practically wrote itself.

Lisa also blogged about the article in her post, Wedding Planning — It's All About Heart.

Nanu, Darlene, and Lisa, thanks for all of the great tips!

Addie and Dustin's wedding reception

On Friday, Jane and I went to Addie and Dustin's wedding reception at Mikeys (mi•key's), which is a great space right down the street from Elsa's.

Addie looked gorgeous in her dress, just like in their surprise Florida wedding.

She and Dustin are a perfect match: both of them are fun and adventurous. The first time I met Dustin, he was wearing a teal t-shirt and parachute pants — at my 80s-themed birthday party. This is a guy who really knows how to go for it in life. Who else could get Addie to go on two dates in one night? Theirs is one of those "We knew it right away" love stories.

Dustin’s brother Jordan, who had worn a mesh half-shirt and acid-washed jeans to the party, regaled me with post-party stories. The gist: He had gone to a few bars and people were not friendly, but he hitched a few rides to ultimately end up in Walker's Point. Thumbs up!

And now back to the reception: The boys and Addie had constructed a photo booth, complete with props. This provided much entertainment as the Kalmbach girls (Addie, Serene, Kristin, Jane, me, Lindsay, and Alison) crammed our way in. It will be interesting to see if the sword or goggles made it into any of the shots.

Later I sampled the crostinis, crudites, and cakes. Yes, cakes. So many cakes, they didn’t all fit in the picture. I ate two pieces (a welcome respite from my anti-sugar campaign, which is a story for another time).

Fun night, fun people. Cheers, Addie and Dustin!

Denise and Jeremy's wedding

Last winter, Denise and a few of us huddled in her parents’ minivan, enduring a blizzard to go wedding dress shopping. (Really, it was a blizzard — Denise had trouble steering us past her driveway.)

I’m not sure whether our opinionated group was any help — “traditional” means different things to different people — but she kept her choice a secret until yesterday. And look at her! Of course I got a little misty-eyed when I saw her.

The “baby priest” (his nickname, not mine) said he would always remember this wedding: it was his first. And after the ceremony, he nodded to us and said, “See ya at the reception.” Friendly.

At the reception, Ben and I had cocktails and too much bread with Matt and Christine. Christine mocked my tears — I also cried during Barb’s toast, when she talked about what a great sister Denise is.

Barb also noted Denise's “militaristic” travel style. While traveling in France, Denise wouldn’t let them stop to eat because it took too much effort. Reminds me of the time Denise and I were at a Halloween party and I said I was hungry and maybe we could go get some food?

“No, you’re not,” she had said. “Just eat more taco dip.” I think we wrung every fun moment we could out of that party.

But there was plenty of food and good times to be had at the reception. Here’s Barb with Hunter, Jeremy’s six-year-old cousin. Hunter enjoyed taking photos and being photographed in his mullet wig. It was a truly joyful occasion.

The one person I didn’t get a chance to congratulate was Jeremy. But I’m hoping that after they get back from their honeymoon, we can all get together for a board game and some meatloaf. If Denise allows us time to eat. (Just kidding!)

Serene and Carlos' wedding

Yesterday I went to Serene and Carlos’ wedding, which they held at a beautiful park that overlooks Lake Michigan.

Because of my directional impairment in getting to Kenosha, I missed Serene walking down the aisle. That was a bummer: the bride walking down the aisle is my favorite part of any wedding — it’s like hearing the national anthem at a basketball game.

I did get to see them say their vows. They both looked happy and relaxed — especially at the reception, where we all ate chicken and ribs and potato salad. Both of them laughed a lot (check out their wigs at Carole’s birthday party to see their sense of humor). I remember talking to Carlos at that party — he was mocking us because our gang tended to talk about work. A lot.

Speaking of Kalmbach, Jenni, who was a designer in the art department, was Serene’s maid of honor. Serene gave the bridesmaids jewelry that I made — silver hoops and simple necklaces to match the aqua sashes on their black dresses. (Specifics for you jewelry diehards: I used a 17 mm light azore polygon drop crystal for the necklace and a 13 mm light azore polygon drop crystal for each hoop.)

For Serene's necklace, I added a crystal to the strand of pearls her grandmother had given her. She was really easygoing about the design: she trusted me to come up with the style of the jewelry and then was thrilled with the results. Love that!

It was a great day: I hung out with friends from the art department and Art Jewelry girls Kristin and Addie. And we didn't even talk about work.

Stacy and Bill's wedding and the pickled egg

Friday night, I went to Stacy and Bill’s wedding at Piano Blu. It was a blast: I laughed, I cried, and I stayed ‘til the end.

Stacy and Bill both looked radiant — I don't think he'd mind if I used that word — and Mary, Jenn, and Katie made the evening fun.

Mary took all of these photos, plus a bunch more. As a photographer, she is unshy and very fast — there are shots of Stacy getting ready, people arriving, the ceremony, the families, the food, the dancing. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm precluded her from appearing in many photos.

While Mary flitted between shooting photos and dancing, Jenn and Katie and I ate shrimp and cheese and pita toasts and drank champagne. It was good times — effortlessly, just like last weekend. Mary said I was "lovely and amusing."

Full and happy and lovely and amusing, I should have gone home then — right after the last photo was snapped.

Instead, we went to the Pickled Egg, a bar a couple of blocks away. Katie had made it sound sort of fun, so I agreed to go for five minutes. Though we were all over-dressed for The Egg, Jenn saw the bright side, suggesting that we would give the whole bar whiplash with our collective hotness. (She might not have used the words "collective hotness," but you know what I mean.)

More than five minutes later, one of Bill’s friends thought it would be hilarious to hide pickled eggs in our purses. Mary and I disabused him of this notion. And yet, when I finally left, I found another egg.

Maybe "found" is not the right word. It was more that I jabbed it when reaching for my cell phone. The lining of my purse reeked (vinegar, eww!). And I got egg under my nails, on my car seat, and caked into my cell phone and makeup. I had no idea a cooked egg could break into so many small parts. It was a stinky end to an otherwise nice evening.

At least I did not end up with egg on my face, har har!

The Roots of it all

To help Stacy celebrate her last Saturday as a single girl, we went to dinner at Roots. (FYI, in the first photo, Stacy is sitting in the middle.)

We sat on the patio and enjoyed a beautiful view of the city. It doesn’t feel clichéd to say that, by the way, because eating outside in Milwaukee can be something of a crapshoot (try eating tacos on a windy day while trying to block out noise from Bluemound Road). But yesterday, the weather was perfect.

Somehow several hours passed as we talked about relationships, work, weddings, pets, reality TV, sleep, and all the other stuff that friends talk about. And Stacy mentioned how much she loves Milwaukee. She seems to have that sense that life is exactly as it should be, that she is where she wants to be. Maybe the theme of our get-together was nature: Aside from Roots' local food approach, it just felt like the night was really fun and easy. The way life should be — drinking lemon-cucumber water and sharing crème brulée, when the good times are effortless.

I'm looking forward to seeing her (and Jenn, Katie, and Mary) on Friday. Even though we're all happy for Stacy and Bill, Katie also thinks the Golden Girls had it right — that there could be worse things than growing old with your friends. So cheers to friendship as well!

Los Angeles, July 2009

I've spent a few days in L.A. — a combination of work and play.

On Friday, Gloria and I had lunch. We've known each other for over ten years (I used to tutor, back when I lived here). Even though it's old school, we've kept in touch primarily through writing letters. I love getting those letters. Not only do I get updates about her family and friends, she also responds to stuff I've written. Letters lack the immediacy of a phone call (or even email), but there's something so deliberate and focused about them. And how often do you get a chance to really think about what you're saying to someone?

After lunch, Yukie and I met up with Diane and Todd on the terrace of their loft downtown. We had a great conversation (parts of which I'll use for my upcoming story for East West magazine). They have a gorgeous food and photography blog, White on Rice Couple. As you can tell from this photo, they laugh a lot.

(Sidebar: Yukie shot the L.A. interviews and Bill Zuback shot the Milwaukee interviews. Thank you to both of them for their time and the excellent photos.)

Friday night, on to the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, I realize there's one in Milwaukee. But Linda and I needed a place to meet that was between Sherman Oaks and Torrance, and this was easy to find. We sat outside (another pleasure of being in a climate with mild weather) and noshed on the ungodly large appetizer platter.

Saturday, after another interview and photos, Yukie and I went to Rupen and Rebecca's wedding. Rupen and Yukie dated a jillion years ago, and they've stayed friends. Here we are with Rupen's high school friend, Ellie. And here's Rupen and Rebecca making their entrance at the reception.

Yesterday I went to lunch with Jim, another Tosa East grad. He rejected a restaurant photo-op, saying it was too touristy. Um, instead we got this photo — his idea, by the way.

So today is my last day in town. I think it will be fairly mellow. A little shopping, a little dinner. All in all, a good trip. See you soon!

Shedding a tear for Dale

Dale and Paul's wedding was beautiful. She looked gorgeous and maintained her composure — as she had all week. And I got misty-eyed only once: as predicted, when she walked down the aisle.

I almost always cry when the bride walks down the aisle. There's something about the magnitude of the event that gets to me. Seeing a friend in a different context at that moment, embarking on a new life. (I can be both a hardened cynic and a hopeless romantic about love, but weddings typically bring out the latter.)

By the way, it is best not to cry in front of Dale unless the situation truly merits it. Worthy situation: a breakup. Unworthy situation: a Bucks game. (At our next Bucks game, Dale said, "You're not gonna cry again, are you?"). Last week she preapproved my crying: "I hope somebody cries for me." A worthy situation.

At dinner, we had a fun table. Here are Joe, Simone, and Pat. Joe is married to Shannon, Dale's good friend who handled all the wedding details. And Simone flew in from Ireland for the weekend. She used to live in Milwaukee and looks forward to moving back here. And Pat went to high school with Dale; they were in the same homeroom. There were lots of friends from childhood, college, and the present.

Incidentally, dinner was fantastic (roast chicken and brussels sprouts). Dale doesn't like brussels sprouts, so she had rigatoni. A bride who eats red sauce on her wedding day — so bold, so low maintenance!

After dinner there were more cocktails. And fireworks (from Polish Fest, I think). Then we said goodnight and hopped in the convertible, and Pat played the Outfield ("Josie's on a vacation far away") at deafening volumes as Fest-goers stood on the corner looking puzzled. Good times.

27 dresses, continued

I discovered that my green silk dress was too low-cut.

So, on Tuesday, I went to TJ Maxx during lunch and found a brown dress with an ivory satin waistband. Conservative but pretty and flattering — exactly what I'd want to wear to a wedding. After work, I bought some gold Guess stilettos and a champagne-colored clutch. Fun!

I tried the ensemble on at home. As I sat on the couch watching the Celtics beat the Lakers, congratulating myself on my thrifty ways, I felt uncomfortable. Constricted. Something was not right.

My dress was too tight in the ribs. And no, it wasn't available in a larger size (yup, I went back).

Luckily Serene gave me a dress — a brown (stretchy) dress with a chartreuse floral. It has two straps that tie around the neck. Cute and it works with the shoes and purse. I raided the BeadStyle workroom and found a few jewelry options: peridot earrings, a chrysoprase memory-wire cuff, and a lemon citrine necklace and earrings. I'm not sure which pieces I'll wear, but I'll decide tomorrow. Well, I have to decide tomorrow. I know I'm spending too much time deliberating about this, but the dress debacle falls into the same category as the hunt for a picture frame: small decisions present way too many options.

In other news, Dale is handling the last few days before the wedding admirably. Her routine has been remarkably similar to mine: work during the day, tennis at night. The only difference is that she is way more laid-back about what she's wearing tomorrow.

See you after the wedding.