Okay..so far, we've given our invites to:
1. Mr. JB's mom and family
2. My mom and dad
3. My brother and sister in law (SIL)
4. My sister and my brother in law (BIL)
5. My aunt (my mom's oldest sister)
6. My cousin and his wife
And as of yesterday night at 9:30 p.m., we can add Mr. JB's brother and family on the list..
My future BIL came by yesterday to pick up his computer. So, I took the opportunity to give him the invite then. Mind you, it didn't have the stamps that I wanted for the reply card but oh well. I want all of our invites to find their new homes...ha ha..
I received an email from Stamps.com saying that the stamps were mailed out yesterday. Well, there's no mail today since it's Ceaser Chavez day. I'm assuming my stamps will be here by Thursday since the stamps are coming from Los Angeles area. But who knows. We'll wait and see.
Ta ta for now.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Our Invitation Reaction
Sunday March 29th of 2009 during the afternoon time --
We stopped by at Mr. JB's parents house in South San Francisco to pick up some stuff we needed to do their taxes. And of course, I chose this opportunity as the time to give them our invite.
I haven't been to their house since they moved in December. I just have been busy and did not have the time. Well, my FMIL (future mother in law) asked what took so long for me to go there and such. I said, this is what I've been busy with...and I handed her our invitation. She inspected it into details. ha ha. Just like I thought she would. She liked our fonts and liked the design of the invite. I'm not sure what else she was thinking cuz we were busy yapping about other things.
Anyhoo, after spending about an hour, we headed for my mom's house. Before I went there, I tried calling to see who was home. There's no point of me going there if no one was at home, right? And finally, my BIL (brother in law) answered when I called my sister. I asked who was there. Eh good enough. So, we stopped by and gave the invite to my dad. He didn't open it right then. It's okay. I expected that. Ha ha. My mom was sleeping. And I also went to give our invite to my sister and BIL. I asked them to open it and my BIL said, oh where did you have it made? Did you pay someone to do this? I said, "no, I did it on my own." He said, "oh, pretty good". Whoo hoo. Just the type of reaction I wanted.
I had two more invites left with me -- my brother/SIL and my cousin and his wife. I called my cousin's wife to see where they were and if they can come over. (They only live about 5 minutes away from my mom's house.) My cousin was sleeping. I said, oh okay. And then she called back to see if I was at my mom's. I said, yes, can you just pop by for a few minutes. And then my SIL called and asked where I was. I told her that I was at my mom's too.
Within 10 minutes, my SIL, my cousin and his wife showed up. Chris gave them the invitations. And my cousin said "oh, it's hand made, huh?" I said, why do you say that? He said, it just looks like that. WHAT? I made sure it looked nice to my bestest ability. I was disappointed by what he said. My SIL on the other hand was like..wow..this is really nice; you should have your own side business. Of course, I was still stuck on my cousin's reaction. Huh?
Of course, my cousin's wife said, you know he's just saying that cuz he knows you were going to make the invitations, right? He expected you to make the invitations yourself cuz that's the type of person you are. You're creative.
Sweet as that statement may be, I still couldn't get over it. Oh..and on top of that, he said, I still like the first one you made. He was referring to the first save the date I ever made, which was a little albumn out of paper. That was pre-weddingbee and pre any crafting supplies.
Ya de ya da...
When my cousins were leaving, my cousin then said, "no, you did a great job. You know I was just kiding, right?" That bastard. Made me think that my invitations were bad. But I know him. He likes to get a reaction out of me sometimes. It's all good. He's still my cousin and I love him. ;)
I don't know what my mom thought about it.... (or if she seen it)...cuz she was taking a nap; she worked yesterday night and just came back today morning and she still had work tonight!
We shall see....
Good night for now..
We stopped by at Mr. JB's parents house in South San Francisco to pick up some stuff we needed to do their taxes. And of course, I chose this opportunity as the time to give them our invite.
I haven't been to their house since they moved in December. I just have been busy and did not have the time. Well, my FMIL (future mother in law) asked what took so long for me to go there and such. I said, this is what I've been busy with...and I handed her our invitation. She inspected it into details. ha ha. Just like I thought she would. She liked our fonts and liked the design of the invite. I'm not sure what else she was thinking cuz we were busy yapping about other things.
Anyhoo, after spending about an hour, we headed for my mom's house. Before I went there, I tried calling to see who was home. There's no point of me going there if no one was at home, right? And finally, my BIL (brother in law) answered when I called my sister. I asked who was there. Eh good enough. So, we stopped by and gave the invite to my dad. He didn't open it right then. It's okay. I expected that. Ha ha. My mom was sleeping. And I also went to give our invite to my sister and BIL. I asked them to open it and my BIL said, oh where did you have it made? Did you pay someone to do this? I said, "no, I did it on my own." He said, "oh, pretty good". Whoo hoo. Just the type of reaction I wanted.
I had two more invites left with me -- my brother/SIL and my cousin and his wife. I called my cousin's wife to see where they were and if they can come over. (They only live about 5 minutes away from my mom's house.) My cousin was sleeping. I said, oh okay. And then she called back to see if I was at my mom's. I said, yes, can you just pop by for a few minutes. And then my SIL called and asked where I was. I told her that I was at my mom's too.
Within 10 minutes, my SIL, my cousin and his wife showed up. Chris gave them the invitations. And my cousin said "oh, it's hand made, huh?" I said, why do you say that? He said, it just looks like that. WHAT? I made sure it looked nice to my bestest ability. I was disappointed by what he said. My SIL on the other hand was like..wow..this is really nice; you should have your own side business. Of course, I was still stuck on my cousin's reaction. Huh?
Of course, my cousin's wife said, you know he's just saying that cuz he knows you were going to make the invitations, right? He expected you to make the invitations yourself cuz that's the type of person you are. You're creative.
Sweet as that statement may be, I still couldn't get over it. Oh..and on top of that, he said, I still like the first one you made. He was referring to the first save the date I ever made, which was a little albumn out of paper. That was pre-weddingbee and pre any crafting supplies.
Ya de ya da...
When my cousins were leaving, my cousin then said, "no, you did a great job. You know I was just kiding, right?" That bastard. Made me think that my invitations were bad. But I know him. He likes to get a reaction out of me sometimes. It's all good. He's still my cousin and I love him. ;)
I don't know what my mom thought about it.... (or if she seen it)...cuz she was taking a nap; she worked yesterday night and just came back today morning and she still had work tonight!
We shall see....
Good night for now..
Mr. JB's turn on the spotlight
Saturday, March 28th of 2009: 3 days before the 1% tax increase in California.
Our goal for the day: to buy a suit for Mr. JB!
We (mostly me) wanted to get a suit for Mr. JB before April 1st so that we don't have to pay the 1% tax increase. I know, I know. How much more can that 1% make, right? BUT why should we have to pay extra 1% if we don't have to.
Our first stop: Nordstrom. Why? Well, simply because Mr. JB always wanted to get a suit from Nordstrom. We went to the Nordstrom at the Westfield, located in downtown San Francisco. We were looking for something simply. Okay, I was thinking something simply but him on the other hand had another idea because on our way there (or maybe a few days before), he mentioned how he looked online to see how much Armani suits will cost him. On the website, it said "$995 and up". I thought: well, it is also his wedding. So, why not, right?
We looked around and saw a sportcoat. He saw it and tried it on. Then Neil came. Neil is a sales rep there. He asked what we were looking for. We simply told them Mr. JB's measurements and said that we're looking for a suit that he can wear for our wedding and for times to come in the future. And then he said, okay and that he'll be back. And he went to go get suits that fitted our needs. He was so cute; he even came and showed me the suit colors first before giving it to Mr. JB. I thought that was cute because he knew that a woman also helps with the decisions and not just the man. Cudos!
Other cudos? Well, he helped Mr. JB try on the suits. I mean, he held it out and all Mr. JB had to do was put his arms in there. =) And when we finally found some suits Mr. JB liked, he asked if it was okay to try on the whole suits. Neil took him in the dressing room and helped out. And at this time, I was waiting for him in the front. Then came Mr. JB! OH WOW WHEE! Boy...he looked handsome!
He came out pimpy fly. ha ha. He had a white shirt underneath and he also had shoes on. Just the way suits should be tried on! I didn't have to use my imaginations to see how the suit will look like with a white shirt or anything. CUDOS...! Again! WOW! I was shocked!
Well, we narrowed it down to two suits -- a gray one and a tan one. I thought both were great choices. The prices of them? Well, a bit out of our budget. It was $2400 and $2700!!
He liked both of them but couldn't decide. I told him that that's how women feel when choosing a dress too. And now he knows why I had a hard time choosing my dress, even after trying on about 30+ dresses.
Then we went to the Macy's Downtown. We were looking around to see if they had anything we'd like. Then Kal, the sales rep came to ask if we needed help. At this point, I was tired and I just simply sat. The next thing I knew, Mr. JB had three suits for him to try on. He tried them on and I said they looked good. And after he tried them on, he brought them out. For a moment there, I thought he was going to buy all three. And then I saw him put the suits back on the rack. What? I was mad! "Why are you the one getting the suits if Kal is the one getting the commission? What the hell? It's not fair! He's not getting commission off of you if he ain't helping you!" You see, I based my outrage on what I was seeing from other sales reps who were running in and out of the dressing room trying to help their customers. I wanted that service as well! You gotta earn your commission darn it!
Then came Kal. He asked how we were doing. I said "not so good." And then I told him exactly what we were looking for. And stupid guy. I hate when people don't listen. We told him that Mr. JB is a size 40 R or S. And he said "well, he's a small guy, so I think he's S and he's also a 38". What? I just told you he was a 40! He took out his measuring tape and measured Mr. JB and guess what? It was freaking 40! Stupid! Why did he have to doubt us? UGH!
Anyhoo, Kal brough some suits for Mr. JB to try on and Mr. JB narrowed it down to two. The choices: a gray suit or a brown suit. Well, we didn't know how it will look on with a white shirt because Kal never offered it and we didn't have one with us. So, we decided to buy both so that we can decide at home. Oh, and the price of the suits? Approximately $2K for both! Yeap! We can get three suits at Macy's for the price of one suit at Nordstrom.
I also forgot to mention that Macy's having a sale in a few days (April 3rd), so Mr. JB can bring the suits back and get 20% off. I know it's after my 1% tax day but we'll still be good cuz we're still going to be saving 19%!!
If I had to choose between Nordstrom and Macy's...it will be NORDSTROM all the way. Their customer service does cost a fortune though.
Oh, and we went to Lids to look for hats to match the suits too. That way, Mr. JB can try on the entire outfit for our wedding at his own leisure. In case you didn't know, Mr. JB is a hat whore. Well, let me rephrase. Mr. JB is a Kangol hat whore. ha ha. He has more than 20 + Kangols (I lost count after 20) and you rarely see him without a hat. The only time he doesn't wear a hat is when he's at home, trying to give his forehead a "break" to prevent pimples.
We'll let you know which one he chooses...
Our goal for the day: to buy a suit for Mr. JB!
We (mostly me) wanted to get a suit for Mr. JB before April 1st so that we don't have to pay the 1% tax increase. I know, I know. How much more can that 1% make, right? BUT why should we have to pay extra 1% if we don't have to.
Our first stop: Nordstrom. Why? Well, simply because Mr. JB always wanted to get a suit from Nordstrom. We went to the Nordstrom at the Westfield, located in downtown San Francisco. We were looking for something simply. Okay, I was thinking something simply but him on the other hand had another idea because on our way there (or maybe a few days before), he mentioned how he looked online to see how much Armani suits will cost him. On the website, it said "$995 and up". I thought: well, it is also his wedding. So, why not, right?
We looked around and saw a sportcoat. He saw it and tried it on. Then Neil came. Neil is a sales rep there. He asked what we were looking for. We simply told them Mr. JB's measurements and said that we're looking for a suit that he can wear for our wedding and for times to come in the future. And then he said, okay and that he'll be back. And he went to go get suits that fitted our needs. He was so cute; he even came and showed me the suit colors first before giving it to Mr. JB. I thought that was cute because he knew that a woman also helps with the decisions and not just the man. Cudos!
Other cudos? Well, he helped Mr. JB try on the suits. I mean, he held it out and all Mr. JB had to do was put his arms in there. =) And when we finally found some suits Mr. JB liked, he asked if it was okay to try on the whole suits. Neil took him in the dressing room and helped out. And at this time, I was waiting for him in the front. Then came Mr. JB! OH WOW WHEE! Boy...he looked handsome!
He came out pimpy fly. ha ha. He had a white shirt underneath and he also had shoes on. Just the way suits should be tried on! I didn't have to use my imaginations to see how the suit will look like with a white shirt or anything. CUDOS...! Again! WOW! I was shocked!
Well, we narrowed it down to two suits -- a gray one and a tan one. I thought both were great choices. The prices of them? Well, a bit out of our budget. It was $2400 and $2700!!
He liked both of them but couldn't decide. I told him that that's how women feel when choosing a dress too. And now he knows why I had a hard time choosing my dress, even after trying on about 30+ dresses.
Then we went to the Macy's Downtown. We were looking around to see if they had anything we'd like. Then Kal, the sales rep came to ask if we needed help. At this point, I was tired and I just simply sat. The next thing I knew, Mr. JB had three suits for him to try on. He tried them on and I said they looked good. And after he tried them on, he brought them out. For a moment there, I thought he was going to buy all three. And then I saw him put the suits back on the rack. What? I was mad! "Why are you the one getting the suits if Kal is the one getting the commission? What the hell? It's not fair! He's not getting commission off of you if he ain't helping you!" You see, I based my outrage on what I was seeing from other sales reps who were running in and out of the dressing room trying to help their customers. I wanted that service as well! You gotta earn your commission darn it!
Then came Kal. He asked how we were doing. I said "not so good." And then I told him exactly what we were looking for. And stupid guy. I hate when people don't listen. We told him that Mr. JB is a size 40 R or S. And he said "well, he's a small guy, so I think he's S and he's also a 38". What? I just told you he was a 40! He took out his measuring tape and measured Mr. JB and guess what? It was freaking 40! Stupid! Why did he have to doubt us? UGH!
Anyhoo, Kal brough some suits for Mr. JB to try on and Mr. JB narrowed it down to two. The choices: a gray suit or a brown suit. Well, we didn't know how it will look on with a white shirt because Kal never offered it and we didn't have one with us. So, we decided to buy both so that we can decide at home. Oh, and the price of the suits? Approximately $2K for both! Yeap! We can get three suits at Macy's for the price of one suit at Nordstrom.
I also forgot to mention that Macy's having a sale in a few days (April 3rd), so Mr. JB can bring the suits back and get 20% off. I know it's after my 1% tax day but we'll still be good cuz we're still going to be saving 19%!!
If I had to choose between Nordstrom and Macy's...it will be NORDSTROM all the way. Their customer service does cost a fortune though.
Oh, and we went to Lids to look for hats to match the suits too. That way, Mr. JB can try on the entire outfit for our wedding at his own leisure. In case you didn't know, Mr. JB is a hat whore. Well, let me rephrase. Mr. JB is a Kangol hat whore. ha ha. He has more than 20 + Kangols (I lost count after 20) and you rarely see him without a hat. The only time he doesn't wear a hat is when he's at home, trying to give his forehead a "break" to prevent pimples.
We'll let you know which one he chooses...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Me likey...
Me likey!! And so does Mr. JB. Can we register for that as our wedding gift, please? =)
That's Tesla's Model S. It's coming out in 2011 and they're taking pre-orders right now. And it's ONLY $49,900, which is the base price. AND it seats 7 passengers! WOW! AND it get you from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. You read right. 5.6 seconds. Can we say "smoke 'em"? ha ha ha! WOWWWWWWW....me likey very much! Oh, and of course, it's an electric car, which is very friendly for the earth.
Almost there...
We're almost done with our invitations..
ALMOST is the key word. I'm awaiting for our stamps from stamps.com. We ordered 40 of them only because we only need them for our return envelopes. And we don't know how much it'd be for us to mail our whole invitations out.
Well..actually, we sorta do but we think the lady that helped us out at the post office doesn't know better. ha ha. I know. HELLO..she works there, right? BUT hear me out first, will you?
When we went to Kinko's to test print our invitations and reply card, we also visited the post office. I brought my sample invitation with me. I went to their self-service counter to weigh it and to see how much it will be. BUT because I don't want to make an error buying stamps we won't be able to use, I went to the lady at the counter. And she was like..."I think it's 42 cents or 59 cents." Then she called in her co-worker to see if our envelope was a "special size". HUH? What do you mean? It's a regular greeting card envelope. What's so darn special about that size? So, the co-worker said, yes it's a special size. WHAT?? REALLY?? That's not what the papersource people nor my cardsandpockets people said. Whatever. I went with the flow and said, "Okay, how much will it cost to have this mailed?" She said .... A DOLLAR!!! HUH? A dollar to mail my invitations? That's freaking expensive! Well, okay, not really. BUT it's more than what I originally thought our invitation will cost me! Then I asked to look at their stamps and found the heart stamps. And I asked her how much it will cost to have the reply cards sent back to me. And she took the envelope from me and had to measure it to make sure it wasn't too small. That's why I'm saying that she didn' tknow what the heck she was doing. Haven't you seen these envelope sizes before? Golly!! She told me that it was going to cost 42 cents, which was what I was expecting.
So..my plan? Go to another post office. =)
And because I'm so darn indecisive, I asked Mr. JB to buy me two sheets of the heart stamps. I haven't figured out if I'm going to use the stamps I ordered or these heart stamps yet.
Time will tell...
to be continued...
ALMOST is the key word. I'm awaiting for our stamps from stamps.com. We ordered 40 of them only because we only need them for our return envelopes. And we don't know how much it'd be for us to mail our whole invitations out.
Well..actually, we sorta do but we think the lady that helped us out at the post office doesn't know better. ha ha. I know. HELLO..she works there, right? BUT hear me out first, will you?
When we went to Kinko's to test print our invitations and reply card, we also visited the post office. I brought my sample invitation with me. I went to their self-service counter to weigh it and to see how much it will be. BUT because I don't want to make an error buying stamps we won't be able to use, I went to the lady at the counter. And she was like..."I think it's 42 cents or 59 cents." Then she called in her co-worker to see if our envelope was a "special size". HUH? What do you mean? It's a regular greeting card envelope. What's so darn special about that size? So, the co-worker said, yes it's a special size. WHAT?? REALLY?? That's not what the papersource people nor my cardsandpockets people said. Whatever. I went with the flow and said, "Okay, how much will it cost to have this mailed?" She said .... A DOLLAR!!! HUH? A dollar to mail my invitations? That's freaking expensive! Well, okay, not really. BUT it's more than what I originally thought our invitation will cost me! Then I asked to look at their stamps and found the heart stamps. And I asked her how much it will cost to have the reply cards sent back to me. And she took the envelope from me and had to measure it to make sure it wasn't too small. That's why I'm saying that she didn' tknow what the heck she was doing. Haven't you seen these envelope sizes before? Golly!! She told me that it was going to cost 42 cents, which was what I was expecting.
So..my plan? Go to another post office. =)
And because I'm so darn indecisive, I asked Mr. JB to buy me two sheets of the heart stamps. I haven't figured out if I'm going to use the stamps I ordered or these heart stamps yet.
Time will tell...
to be continued...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Whoo hoo!!!
Guess what??????????? We booked our trip!!!
I've been waiting for today for a while..... Well, more like the last two weeks. I knew I wanted to book our trip for Hawaii but didn't feel right "researching" fully when I had to study. The thinking behind that was based on the fact that I did HORRIBLE on my last test and knew I had to whip myself to shape if I wanted to pass the class with the grade that I'm comfortable with. So, I studied ... and studied ... and peeked online .. and peeked online ... and studied some more. I contacted our travel agent to get pricing on different options, for myself and for my family. And she gave me the quotes for various "options" I was considering:
1. rent a house with the family in Maui and get a condo in Kauai
2. rent a house by ourselves (shared with either my sister/brother-in-law or my cousin/cousin-in-law) and get a condo in Kauai; rent a house for everyone else in Maui
3. get condos in Maui in Kihei or Wailea area for us and the family and condo for us in Kauai
the above options also need to have non-stop flight from SFO and a mid size car
Brenda, the travel agent, was really nice and gave me a few different options with different pricing. I was happy with the pricing but of course, being a smart shopper that I am, I decided call my buddy Mr. Costco. Well, Mr. Costco shocked me! Their prices were cheaper than what Brenda quoted me. GASP. Say it isn't so? But it was so!
But which option?
We really wanted to get a house to share with either my sister/brother-in-law or my cousin/cousin-in-law because we wanted to have a place for our "welcome dinner" and "thank you breakfast". We wouldn't have to worry about finding a place and will just need to order. But the thing with this option is that my sister/brother-in-law and my cousin/cousin-in-law wouldn't be joining us until the day after we get there. That would mean that Mr. JB and I will have to pay for a day on our own (we're arriving one day before everyone) and they will also have to pay for a day on their own (since we're leaving one day before everyone). That wouldn't be fair, right?
But share a house with the entire family? Well, as much as I like the idea, sometimes my family members are WAY too loud. My goodness. Seriously! They're loud!!!! When we were younger, in Burma, my aunts would be able to say our name and we heard them from all the way down the street where we were playing. Yeap..that loud!
It's not the fact that they're loud that's deterring me from sharing a house with them. We have a few DIY projects we'd have to do when we get there. If they see us doing the projects, they wouldn't be surprised anymore. Know what I mean?
And the last idea: getting our own condo? Well, I didn't mind that. In fact, I thought that was a better idea since each "couple" wouldn't have to rely on anyone. They can arrive and leave on whatever day. And we can all be "next" to each other, without being on top of each other. We can all stay in the same complex, you know what I mean? And we'll have our own privacy. Ya de ya da. The draw back: if everyone's going there at the same time, then it's pricier if everyone get their own condos.
I emailed these options to my brother, my sister, my cousin plus their significant others to get their response. Sister JB liked the renting of the house idea better. I've given them all the price breakdown of everything...
Brother JB thought it was going to cost him $10,000 to go there for a week! I said WHAT! I told him that Mr. JB and I are not planning to spend that much and we're going to Kauai too! Crazy brother of mine! Oi!
And after all the emailing of all the prices, my sister in law wrote me the following: " just want to say thank you for doing all of these for us I appreciate...you have a good heart and that's why I like you,not because your my sister in law it's because you care...really thank you...were so lucky to have you...have a good day my DEAR...muahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." How cute is she? ha ha.
How did I respond back to her? "You are very welcome..
I want to make sure that everyone's happy when going there... =) AND I want to make sure I get you guys all the best prices...so that I can get a BIG gift..from helping you save money. ha ha ha."
Oh, I also forgot to say that I found a place that has two properties -- a house with 4 bedrooms and a cottage. Mr. JB and I'll be staying in the cottage, even if it's a little bit more costly than what the rest of my family members are paying. We'll have the privacy that we need PLUS the space we were looking for with a house. AND we get to eat my mom's cooking! Delish! Best of all worlds. Ha ha.
So, I'm still waiting for my bro to get back to me as far as the house rental thing goes but in the mean time, I booked our flight/car to Maui and flight/car/condo to Kauai! And good thing about Costco is that if my siblings were to change their minds and decided that they wanted to stay in condos instead or wherever else, then I can add a condo to my package as well, with no worries.
Whoo hoo!!! I'm excited!
I've been waiting for today for a while..... Well, more like the last two weeks. I knew I wanted to book our trip for Hawaii but didn't feel right "researching" fully when I had to study. The thinking behind that was based on the fact that I did HORRIBLE on my last test and knew I had to whip myself to shape if I wanted to pass the class with the grade that I'm comfortable with. So, I studied ... and studied ... and peeked online .. and peeked online ... and studied some more. I contacted our travel agent to get pricing on different options, for myself and for my family. And she gave me the quotes for various "options" I was considering:
1. rent a house with the family in Maui and get a condo in Kauai
2. rent a house by ourselves (shared with either my sister/brother-in-law or my cousin/cousin-in-law) and get a condo in Kauai; rent a house for everyone else in Maui
3. get condos in Maui in Kihei or Wailea area for us and the family and condo for us in Kauai
the above options also need to have non-stop flight from SFO and a mid size car
Brenda, the travel agent, was really nice and gave me a few different options with different pricing. I was happy with the pricing but of course, being a smart shopper that I am, I decided call my buddy Mr. Costco. Well, Mr. Costco shocked me! Their prices were cheaper than what Brenda quoted me. GASP. Say it isn't so? But it was so!
But which option?
We really wanted to get a house to share with either my sister/brother-in-law or my cousin/cousin-in-law because we wanted to have a place for our "welcome dinner" and "thank you breakfast". We wouldn't have to worry about finding a place and will just need to order. But the thing with this option is that my sister/brother-in-law and my cousin/cousin-in-law wouldn't be joining us until the day after we get there. That would mean that Mr. JB and I will have to pay for a day on our own (we're arriving one day before everyone) and they will also have to pay for a day on their own (since we're leaving one day before everyone). That wouldn't be fair, right?
But share a house with the entire family? Well, as much as I like the idea, sometimes my family members are WAY too loud. My goodness. Seriously! They're loud!!!! When we were younger, in Burma, my aunts would be able to say our name and we heard them from all the way down the street where we were playing. Yeap..that loud!
It's not the fact that they're loud that's deterring me from sharing a house with them. We have a few DIY projects we'd have to do when we get there. If they see us doing the projects, they wouldn't be surprised anymore. Know what I mean?
And the last idea: getting our own condo? Well, I didn't mind that. In fact, I thought that was a better idea since each "couple" wouldn't have to rely on anyone. They can arrive and leave on whatever day. And we can all be "next" to each other, without being on top of each other. We can all stay in the same complex, you know what I mean? And we'll have our own privacy. Ya de ya da. The draw back: if everyone's going there at the same time, then it's pricier if everyone get their own condos.
I emailed these options to my brother, my sister, my cousin plus their significant others to get their response. Sister JB liked the renting of the house idea better. I've given them all the price breakdown of everything...
Brother JB thought it was going to cost him $10,000 to go there for a week! I said WHAT! I told him that Mr. JB and I are not planning to spend that much and we're going to Kauai too! Crazy brother of mine! Oi!
And after all the emailing of all the prices, my sister in law wrote me the following: " just want to say thank you for doing all of these for us I appreciate...you have a good heart and that's why I like you,not because your my sister in law it's because you care...really thank you...were so lucky to have you...have a good day my DEAR...muahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." How cute is she? ha ha.
How did I respond back to her? "You are very welcome..
I want to make sure that everyone's happy when going there... =) AND I want to make sure I get you guys all the best prices...so that I can get a BIG gift..from helping you save money. ha ha ha."
Oh, I also forgot to say that I found a place that has two properties -- a house with 4 bedrooms and a cottage. Mr. JB and I'll be staying in the cottage, even if it's a little bit more costly than what the rest of my family members are paying. We'll have the privacy that we need PLUS the space we were looking for with a house. AND we get to eat my mom's cooking! Delish! Best of all worlds. Ha ha.
So, I'm still waiting for my bro to get back to me as far as the house rental thing goes but in the mean time, I booked our flight/car to Maui and flight/car/condo to Kauai! And good thing about Costco is that if my siblings were to change their minds and decided that they wanted to stay in condos instead or wherever else, then I can add a condo to my package as well, with no worries.
Whoo hoo!!! I'm excited!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Some lovely quotes in Hawaiian
1. A O Ko Aloha Ka`u E Hi`ipoi Mau -- With you, joy will ever be mine
2. A O `Oe Ku`u Pua -- You are my blossom
3. Aloha Au Ia'oe -- I Love You
4. Aloha Nui Loa -- All my love
5. E Hookumu Maua Ka Hale Puni Maua Ohana Me Ka Pumehana A Me Ka Oiloli Kealoha -- May we create a home that surrounds our family and friends with warmth, laughter and love.
6. E Hoomau Maua Kealoha -- May our love last forever
7. Ia Iho Ke Aloha -- To my love
8. Ko Aloha Makamae E Ipo -- Sweetheart you are so precious
9. Me Ke Aloha Pumehana -- With the warmth of my love
10. Nau ko`u aloha -- My love is yours
The above quotes were retrieved from an email I received around Valentine's day from the Hawaiian Lei Company. I liked some of the quotes above and we tried to incorporate them into our invitations but hm...it's a no go for us.
Hope someone can use one of these quotes!
2. A O `Oe Ku`u Pua -- You are my blossom
3. Aloha Au Ia'oe -- I Love You
4. Aloha Nui Loa -- All my love
5. E Hookumu Maua Ka Hale Puni Maua Ohana Me Ka Pumehana A Me Ka Oiloli Kealoha -- May we create a home that surrounds our family and friends with warmth, laughter and love.
6. E Hoomau Maua Kealoha -- May our love last forever
7. Ia Iho Ke Aloha -- To my love
8. Ko Aloha Makamae E Ipo -- Sweetheart you are so precious
9. Me Ke Aloha Pumehana -- With the warmth of my love
10. Nau ko`u aloha -- My love is yours
The above quotes were retrieved from an email I received around Valentine's day from the Hawaiian Lei Company. I liked some of the quotes above and we tried to incorporate them into our invitations but hm...it's a no go for us.
Hope someone can use one of these quotes!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Dress update
The last time I wrote on here, I was attempting to go to David's Bridal. I made the appointment for a Monday and we finally made it inside. =) So, third time of making the appointment WAS a charm. ha ha. My sister-in-law, my cousin and my mom accompanied me to DB at 8 in the evening on a Monday night. Weren't they sweet?
A few days prior to my appointment, I went on DB to look at dresses that I might possibly like. I searched for "lace" and "bead". I kept looking at one dress in particular: T9612. I read the reviews and knew how much people liked it. I also liked the simplicity of it as well. So, I knew I had to try on that one for sure. I called to make sure that the store I was going to did have the dress in the size I needed. And they did. So, on we go on our appointment.
As soon as we stepped in the door, there the dress was! T9612! I didn't know it was that dress when I saw it at first. I said, wow, it's really pretty! And then I looked at the tag and that was the dress!! So, of course that was the first dress I tried on. It was very pretty. I liked it a lot! But I couldn't settle on the first DB dress. I asked my consultant (Camie) that our wedding was going to be in Hawaii and that I'm looking for simple but elegant gown. Camie was really good because she actually listened to me!!! I tried on a few more dresses and decided that at David's Bridal, T9612 was the dress for me!! The dress that I tried on was ivory but my mom thought it was "dingy" looking cuz it wasn't white. And because I'm so indecisive, I didn't buy the dress then. I tried on two different sizes since both didn't fit me right -- size X fitted me everywhere but near the waist area, it needed to be brought up. But size XX fitted me right near the waist area but the hip area was a bit big. Camie thought I should get size XX but my mom thought it'd be better to get size X. Hm...so I told Camie, I had to think about it. I'm still not sure which size I should pick to this day.
That's me with T9612!
So, the dress was on sale that day. According to Camie, she said that if I buy the dress then, it'd be $699. That's $100 off from the original price of $799. But add tax, and alteration fees and I'm thinking it'd be at least $1100. But here's the thing: I can't imagine spending so much money on a dress that I'll just be wearing for a few hours. I still am at awe at women who spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress. Where do you get the money? Or is it just me being a "thrifter"? I still made an appointment with Camie to go see her the following Thursday BUT I haven't been back yet.
As soon as I got home, I went to weddingbee and posted an ad to say I wanted that dress. Then this girl contacted me and said that she was looking for the same dress. I found out that girl and I are almost identical in our measurements. I was thinking...wow..score!! We can share the same dress. We emailed back and forth and decided to share the dress. So, I was really excited, thinking that I get to wear the dress I liked AND stay within my budget. I was so excited that I even told my dad and my mom about it during one of our Friday dinners. And my cousins thought I was being a cheapo. ha ha ha. But guess what happened? The plan didn't work out. That Saturday, she tried on the T9612 dress and then tried on another dress. She fell in love with another dress! Bummer! But hey..it just wasn't meant to be, right? She felt really bad but I told her that she should go for her dream dress and not to worry about me.
Another week later, on Wednesday after school, I went to Papers and Petals store in Burlingame with my lovely entourage to try on a few more dresses. Guess who else came with me that day? My lovely niece. She was so sweet. She stayed with me in the dressing room as I was trying on dresses so that she can help me zip the zippers. So sweet.
The thing I didn't like about my experience there was when their sample dresses are street size 2! Um...thanks for the compliment but I'm NO WHERE near size 2. ha ha. After trying on a few more dresses, I narrowed it down to two dresses: 1. simple and elegant with lots of silk lace in a sheath shape and 2. longer train with polyester satin but has lots of details. The prices for each dress? For dress 1: $2400! For dress 2: $1400! I couldn't decide! I told the consultant that I have to come back the following Wednesday after I make my decision. She said that because these dresses take about 4 months to order, I should make an appointment to come back very soon. She suggested to come back on Friday. I said, alright. So, i got an appointment at P&P at 2 p.m. on that Friday. I assumed that if I look at the pictures that were taken by my cousin, then I can make up my mind. Did I? NOPE! I really love that dress #1 but dress #2 was so pretty in the pictures because of the sparkles and such. I know I know. I thought you didn't want to spend more than $500 on a dress? Well, I don't! That's why I knew I wouldn't go back there to buy the dress.
dress 1 -- front and back
dress 2 -- the consultant was nice enough to turn down the lights so that I can see the sparkles!
The whole time I was trying on my dresses, I was thinking that only if I can have it made. I even went to a dressmaker near my house with the pictures of the dresses I liked. Guess what her quote was for me? $2,000!!! You read right! TWO THOUSANDS! And that doesn't even include the material fees. It's all for labor. OUCH!!
So, my alternative? JeffLiu8800 on ebay! I sent him pictures of the dress I liked, which I never tried on in any of my dress shopping trips. His price was more friendlier to my budget then any alternatives. Of course, Mr.JB didn't like that idea! He said what if the dress doesn't look good? What's your alternatives? Do you have a back up plan? What about the money? Ah...sometimes Mr. JB has too many good questions. I said, well, if it doesn't work out then it doesn't work out. But I would hate to miss out wearing a dress I liked because I didn't even try. My backup plan? Well, J-Crew, of course!
I gave my measurements to JeffLiu8800 on Friday and asked him for pictures of the lace he'll be using on my dress. Of course, the original gown has silk underlining but this one will have satin. it's okay, right? No big deal. Nobody's going to come up to me and lift my skirt to say, "oh you have satin, huh?" ha ha.
I shall keep you updated as soon as I get my dress. It's going to be about 4 weeks until I get it.
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