It's Been 6 Months

...and I still have my bouquet. How many brides can say that?!

It's hard to believe it's only been six months since our wedding day... it feels like we've been married for years! Even after such a short time being married, our love for each other has deepened in ways I couldn't have predicted or imagined. It's awesome.

And... I have a bit of an announcement to make. I don't know if any of you have been wondering why my posts have been so scarce around here, but yes, I do have a good reason, and no, I'm not pregnant. (We're gonna wait a few more years for kiddies.)

The thing is, Curt and I started a new project together a couple months ago. I'd like to introduce you all to...

Grizzly Bear Modern.

I won't try to describe it here because it really can't be summed up... but I'll just say that it has a little something for everyone. So go check it out, leave us a comment, follow us on twitter and be our fan on facebook! pretty pretty please?

So there ya go, that's why MJB has been getting quieter and quieter. But I do have the rest of my recaps and a few other things lined up. So stay tuned, and come visit me over on GBM too!

xoxo,

Jessica

First Things First

let's get caught up...


I mentioned that Curt and his buddies did something pretty non-traditional for his bachelor party. Over Labor Day weekend, the guys kidnapped Curt and took him up to Big Pine (close to Bishop, CA) for a camping/fishing/hiking trip. They slept in tents and bathed in a stream and made a Craps table out of cardboard, and Curt had a blister on his heel the size of a golf ball when he got home. No joke. But they had a lot of fun. And come on, this is a much nicer setting than a Vegas strip club (I guess that depends on who you ask. but whatever):



My bachelorette party was a bit more typical, but none of the standard penis-shaped accessories. Thank God. Instead, Sarina and Kathryn made me a really cute veil headband, which was far less embarrassing. We went out to one of my favorite spots, Nick's in Laguna Beach, the Friday night before the wedding (remember, our wedding was on a Sunday).

Even my grandma got in on the action... that's her in the middle, and my mom on the right.

Corrie got me some granny panties and wrote "10th Anniversary" on the butt. Or was it 5th?

The girls had to throw in at least one traditional make-the-bride-do-something-embarrassing move... at some point one of the bartenders brought me a "BJ shot." I'm sure you can guess what the rules are when downing this particular drink...

"Look, ma! No hands!"


I know I'm going to regret posting this next shot, but for the sake of full disclosure...

Ok, yeah. Moving right along...

This is Betty. I'm pretty sure that wasn't her real name but somehow that's what we ended up calling her. She was really drunk and she really liked Corrie. And she bought shots for the whole table. Oh, Betty. You are one crazy lady.

The whole group: Corrie, Kathryn, Me, my grandma, my mom, my sister Heather, Rachelle, and Sarina.

LOVE these girls. So much.

So there ya go! Nothing too crazy, but it was still crazy fun. Stay tuned for the rehearsal brunch... unfortunately I only have like 2 pictures of it, boo :(

After that, wedding day recaps! So excited!

Blogs, you know I love you, but...

Every once in a while I have to make myself put down the laptop and pick up a book. I'm always in the middle of 2 or 3 books at a time and for some reason I get so distracted by other things (namely, blogs) that I take forever to finish reading a novel. So. I'm gonna read more books.

Care to join me? Go here to get a nifty little stack o' books for your blog, then pick a book (or a newspaper, or a magazine) and start reading.

I'm currently in the middle of Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer. It's really good. But I've been reading it since.... Thanksgiving. That's sad.

I gotta give credit where credit is due... this was cevd and esb's idea. They're pretty smart ladies, dontcha think?

My Big Sis is...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


It was our very own little Christmas miracle. Ever since Heather was diagnosed with PCOS almost eight years ago, her doctors have told her that she probably wouldn't be able to conceive. But after only four months of trying, she's pregnant! This morning at her ultrasound, she got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. She said it was absolutely surreal.

By the way, the Prego jar was how she broke the news to us. She and Michael got on video chat and Heather told me she wanted to show me one of my Christmas presents, since it wouldn't get to California in time. All of a sudden, there was a jar of pasta sauce with a big shiny bow on top! I was a little confused at first but as soon as it sunk in I started screaming in excitement.

I can't wait to meet my new niece or nephew!

Ummm... anyone want my dress?

All that tulle is takin' up too much room... so if you're on the hunt for some tea-length prettiness, or know a bride who is, let me know! My dress made me so happy (look how it twirls!!!!) and I'd love to share that beautiful, giddy feeling with someone else.

It's up on Once Wed and you can see the listing right here. Of course, feel free to email me directly if you have questions!

Well.... Shucks, Y'all!

Our wedding is being featured on the Southern Weddings Blog today!

Most of you don't know this, but I was born in North Carolina, and I'm a bit of a Southern girl at heart. So it's a huge honor to be featured on this amazing blog! Emily, the art director for Southern Weddings, sent us a bunch of questions and we had so much fun answering them. Check out all 3 posts (here, here, and here) and leave us some love!

Tons of LOVE from the Wedding Chicks!

I'm ridiculously thrilled because the Wedding Chicks are featuring our wedding all day today!!

Amy and Jocey are two of the sweetest ladies ever, plus they have a great sense of style and they always feature the most incredible weddings on their site.

It's been so fun blogging for the Wedding Chicks as one of their WC Brides... Amy and Jocey assembled a really fun group and it's so great to see all the ideas from brides around the country and around the world! You can read my posts by clicking here.

They had to split our wedding into four different posts because Sarah, our photographer, sent them so many great images! There are a few new ones in there that I've never seen before... so exciting!!!

Go check out each post and leave some comments!

5 days.

I was pretty sure that, at this point, we'd be ready. All the details taken care of. Done and Done.

And we are. Almost.

But there are still a million things running through my head at any given moment. And I still have a hard time falling asleep at night because I'm constantly checking items off my to-do list and adding new ones.

Mostly we're just excited. And more than ready to be married. We can finally stop splitting our time between LA and OC, and we can start doing all the things we've talked about and dreamed about for years. It's a nice feeling.

We're also really looking forward to spending some time here....

Aaahh, Cancun.

Easy to get to, warm tropical waters, really good food, and everything is cheap. Our kind of place. And my mom graciously offered us the use of her timeshare, so our gorgeous condo is free.

We considered going somewhere a bit more exotic, or adventurous, or whatever. But we have the rest of our lives for that. And when all this planning is over, and we've just finished hosting a party for 100 people, we're really going to need a week of pure bliss. And lots and lots of sleep.

It's hard to believe it's so close! I can't wait to share all of our wedding details with you. We've kept a lot of things secret and I'm just itching to do the big reveal.

Where are you going (or where did you go) on your Honeymoon? Did you plan out an itinerary or just wing it?

Curt's Manly-Man Bachelor Weekend

So the mister is gone all weekend for his bachelor party.

The boys essentially kidnapped him Friday afternoon, told him what to pack, and put him in the car for a long ride to the middle of nowhere.

I've been left in the dark about the whole thing, but Curt finally got a chance to call me this afternoon and I found out that they're camping and fishing in the mountains somewhere near Bishop. Definitely not your typical bachelor party, and if you read his blog you know that Curt's not exactly a rough-and-tumble mountain man...

But they're sleeping on the ground in tents, bathing in a stream, and apparently they hiked about 4 miles today to get to the lake to go fishing. I would looooove to see that.

Dear Dane, Dan, and Ryan: Thanks for not taking him to Mexico. Or Vegas. I appreciate it.

On a completely different note, this episode of It's Me Or the Dog is playing as I type.

Yeah, Corrie, that one's just for you.

Sufjan Stevens is planning on giving us a belated wedding gift.

Click here. It's gonna be epic.

(Curt knows that if he wasn't in my life, I would be finding a way to marry Sufjan. Or at least have his babies.)

Bridal Shower... better late than never :)

It's been almost 3 weeks (yikes!) since my bridal shower... sorry I'm so late posting these! Still thought y'all might enjoy them, and I know certain friends and family members keep nagging me to put them up, so... here ya go.

My lovely Maid of Honor, Sarina, was an amazing hostess. Everything was flawless!

Perfect setting, perfect weather...

perfect food...


everything was delish!


I think the highlight of the day for everyone (except me) was the marshmallow game. I knew it was coming... I had subjected my sister and one of my best friends (both bridesmaids) to the game for their bridal showers, so it was only fair :) It really is a great ice breaker and if you ever have to host a bridal shower, make sure you throw this one in.

Here's how it works: Before the shower, someone contacts the groom with a list of 20 questions about his personality, preferences, life experiences, ideals, etc. (e.g. "Should the toilet paper roll go over or under?", "What one thing would you like to have an unlimited supply of?", "What's the most you've ever spent on a concert ticket?" Then, the bride gets quizzed about his responses. For every wrong answer, the bride has to put a marshmallow in her mouth... it's like "Chubby Bunny," remixed.

I did pretty well, but my mom was the one who came up with the questions, and some of them were really hard!! Curt told me later that he didn't even know how to answer them, so he wasn't sure if I'd be able to.

I think Sarina had way too much fun asking the questions.


By the last few questions, my mouth was so full of marshmallows that I had to write my answers down on paper instead of saying them out loud.

One of the questions must have had me pretty stumped!

My mama flew in from Denver so she could come to the shower and spend a little time in our new apartment. It was SO HOT in the valley that weekend, but she toughed it out.

Ava gets the prize for best baby EVER. She was so good and she made friends with everyone there.


yummy snickerdoodle cupcakes!


a sexy nightie from Kathryn! woo-hoo!!

ridiculously adorable apron from Becky... I wear this every time I wash dishes because the faucet is situated really high and water splashes everywhere.




And another apron that Lisa made for me! LOVE it. These ladies must know how much time I spend in the kitchen :)

About 9 weeks to go... How are the rest of you October brides feeling??

good question.

via I Can Read.

Thank you, Mr. Bovitz.

Lucky us! Curt's boss has season tickets to Dodger Stadium, but was in Oregon yesterday for a business meeting and offered us his seats. Hooray for one of our first rites of passage as responsible Angelenos! So we got to watch the Dodgers lose to the Colorado Rockies 3-0. Sure, it's a bit of a bummer that they lost, but the seats were great! And everyone knows that baseball is all about the food anyway...



World Famous Dodger Dog! (Not the most attractive picture, sorry about that...)

The coolest part was that they let everyone on the field after the game and put on a great fireworks show. Complete with Patriotic songs. You know that Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful"? It ALWAYS reminds me of The Sandlot.


Brand new shiny shoes ($30 at Marshalls, yo!) on the most beautifully maintained grass in Los Angeles... Seriously, that stuff is so strong, you'd think it was fake.

excited for fireworks!

Are y'all doing anything exciting for the 4th? I'm SO looking forward to having a Saturday off!

woah.

does anyone else feel like this month went by SO FAST?

I feel like I just got back from Colorado, but that was almost 4 weeks ago.

anyhow. I apologize for the complete lack of posts... but I have so much to report so there will be plenty of good ones coming up!

In the past few weeks, we've....

• set a date for our E-shoot with Sarah (it's exactly one month from today!)
• started working on our invitations (they are puuuurdy)
• made our to-do list (massive, but manageable)
• enjoyed the lovely weather in Laguna Beach
• MOVED! I'll post pictures soon :)

For now, I'll leave you with this mid-century modern inspired engagement session by RC Jones Photography. I'm really loving it...

via The Wedding Cabaret. See more here.