“Your order hasn’t been processed”

Excuse me?? That is not what a bride wants to hear about the flowers that she ordered for delivery the day before. NOT PROCESSED?? This statement took a second to register. I mean…a wedding with no flowers is just not happening. I had ordered flowers in bulk and was going to do the centerpieces and other floral arrangements myself (with help). So no flowers were simply not an option. Chris and Colleen were packing up the car for us to leave for Tahoe, and were headed my way down the hall when they heard me yell into the phone “are you F*%$#*G kidding me!!!” at the poor customer service person. I believe I heard Chris turn to Colleen and say “that doesn’t sound good; I think we should go outside”. Smart Man.

Well it wasn’t good. I ordered the flowers and paid for them 5 months prior, and now someone was telling me that not only were they 1 day late in arriving, but they hadn’t even been processed or shipped yet. No Bueno. Thankfully, I think, I terrified the poor CSR into immediate action because within 30 min he pulled the order, called FedEx for an emergency pick up, and was sending them over night. He called again 1 hour later with the shipping number, again the next morning to tell me they were on the FedEx truck in Tahoe City, and again after we signed for them to see if I was satisfied. So he completely restored my faith. The flowers were amazing, and he sent an additional 100 calla lilies just for my inconvenience. So what could have been a big problem turned around and into something even better.



Thank you Val and Kerri for our Floral Centerpiece 101 afternoon. We done good kids!

Officially an M.R.S

That’s right. I’m back, for a bit and wanted to post a small update. I will do more over the next week, but wanted to add something small for now.



The entire weekend was amazing. It was filled with friends, family, love and tons of laughter. It had the added elements of stress, emotional moments, and minimal drama….I mean there were 9 girls in one house. What do you expect?



We were so blessed to have several days with close friends, introduce them to our favorite place on earth, and let them get to know each other better. We were up early, some for hikes, some for bikes, and others to create floral centerpieces. We were also up late as we danced in our socks on the hardwood floors, and drank like fish into the early morning hours. At the end of it all we had a wedding, and not just any wedding but the best wedding ever!! Of course every bride says that because it was their own but ours pretty much was.



Sure, it could have been about 10 degrees warmer, and it might have been nice to have any single men…the only one was the bartender (not that he was complaining), but overall it was more than Chris and I had even hoped for. Thank you all for sharing it with us, we love you.

Going back to Cali

This past week has been a blur. Between the stock market insanity, all the college and NFL football one can handle (how about them Cowboys!!), and Hurricane Ike… I’m ready to head to CA this morning for a few days of relaxation before the I Do’s.

Last week I was able to have not 1, but 2 girls’ nights. Thursday was the first with Melissa, Christine and Gretchen. We went to the usual watering hole, Capitol Pub. We all had a long week and after some appetizers, a few beers, and silently judging the chain smoker in a suit at the table next to us we called it a night. Gretchen is having a big 3-0 birthday bash this weekend at the House of Blues, and I know Melissa has worked really hard to make the event wonderful. I’m sad that Christine and I will miss it, but can’t wait to see the pictures when we get back.

Friday was the second girl’s night. Celeste came into town to escape Houston and impending doom with Hurricane Ike. Not knowing how long she would be displaced she made plans to stay with several friends over different nights to spread the love. It’s always a party when she's around and Friday was no exception. Our other friend Elizabeth was in from Boston for a bachelorette party and we had planned on pedicures & Mexican food for Friday night. I didn’t tell anyone Celeste was here, and surprised them at the nail salon. After a pampering pedi, and Celeste getting burned by the eyebrow “technician” we headed to Matt’s in Lakewood for some Bob Armstrong dip and margaritas.



The rest of the weekend was a whirlwind of last min wedding errands, laundry/packing, and of course taking a trip to see baby Aaden at home and to give mom Erin some company. So today I head home. I have all day tomorrow to do nothing at all without a care in the world. Thursday Chris, Rob, Allison, Colleen & Val come to town…and I see a trip to the Mine Shaft in our future. Friday the rest of the Texans arrive to Tahoe City and the weekend events begin.



When I blog next I will have a new last name.

A few of my favorite things (and one that's not)

The Cowboys have win #1 under their belt. After watching all the episodes of Hard Knocks I love DeMarcus Ware (sigh).



We received the most amazing wedding gift over the weekend. It was a shiny new MAC from the Apple store courtesy of John and Terri (Chris mom & step dad).


We also had a few deliveries from Crate and Barrel over the weekend. Chris thinks it feels like Christmas so he’s in heaven.



I was able to see baby Aaden several times. Weighing in at 9lbs, 6oz and 21.5 inches long he is one big baby! Thank God she had a c-section. Both mom and baby are home and healthy.



I wanted to watch the VMA’s but changed the channel after a while. Russell Brand was annoying, ignorant, and obnoxious. I think the UK can have him back.

Latest Goings On

So August went out with a bang. A summary of events:


A weekend in Tahoe where we met with the pastor, picked vows, got the official marriage license, and tasted cake. Chris has wanted to go to a cake tasting since the engagement, and I have to say this one was worth it. Yummy.



My parents also got us all great seats to a lake side concert that weekend with Sheryl Crow, and James Blunt. It was a really good show, but I thought Chris was going to walk out when she sang a song about Exxon Mobile. I'm just saying that unless I'm at a convention or rally I prefer that singers, you know, sing...I don't need to know thoughts on politics. If I wanted to pay $100 for that I would go to a fundraising event.



My friend Callie had a hemorrhage in her brain, and was in the ICU for a week, no answers, no treatment...no explanation. She was sent home, but was back in the ER last night with spotty vision. I adore her, and ask everyone to keep her in prayers. I will also never go to Plano Presbyterian for anything unless I'm bleeding out and have no other option.

My other friend Erin is having her baby today, in a few hours actually, via c-section. This is a big baby, estimated weight at 9lbs last week. She is doing this solo, and I am amazed at her strength. I know today she is a little scared, but she and the baby will be perfect. I can't wait to see them this evening.



My gripes of the week are that currently I have a DJ that can't seem to return a call, a sudden change in venue coordinators 18 days before our wedding, 32 degree temps at night for our outside reception, and people that don't RSVP. Hello, it has a stamp on it, it's addressed, check a freaking box and send it back. Annoying.

Nerds on Segways

Rob, Allison, Chris and I went down to Temple TX one Aug weekend. It’s an annual party hos mom and Step dad host, and several families come for a few days to lay by the pool, play games, and eat very well. This year one of them brought 2 segways! Now keep in mind we are HUGE arrested development fans. As such the segway holds a special place in our hearts.



My brother was grinning from ear to ear as he took off down the driveway on his, and by taking off I am mean he was cautiously moving about 3 miles per hour. Chris was equally as excited, and Allison even tried it out. We all know how coordinated and graceful I am, so I had to pass. I wouldn't want to be the 1st Segway casualty.

Champagne wishes and Vodka dreams

My bachelorette party was this past weekend, and 6 of us headed to Austin for an afternoon spa day, and an evening of fun. I told them I would refuse to wear any type of bachelorette paraphernalia. Luckily for me they agreed, and were pleased they didn’t have to wear matching devil horn tank tops as well
.


There was a hitch in our giddy up out of town; it involved a car detail gone wrong and a hanging rear view mirror. Once that was settled, and we hit up both Sonic and Starbucks for some nosh we were on our way. The iPods were loaded for the 3 hour drive, and the cooler was packed with ice, champagne, and vodka. Let’s not forget the strawberries, cheese and “sociable” crackers as well.


We arrived at the hotel we dumped all our stuff with the bellman and headed down the block to Moonshine for some lunch. Then were off to the spa for nail treatments, and had the entire room for manis and pedis, as well as some quality wine drinking. Once that was over we were back at the hotel to our rooms for rest and to catch up on the Olympics. Later we had in room cocktails and snacks before our dinner reservation.


The valets thought we were so cute they drove us in the hotel car to the restaurant, as opposed to making us walk. Our initial reservation of 5 people that turned to 6 seemed to really throw them off so rather than wait, we decided to keep the party going with a pitcher of Mojitos at the bar, followed by another at the table. You can see where I am headed. Apparently when the waiter got smart with us party Meg was in full effect, and she will sass you back.


After dinner we decided to walk to a bar, and had to cross over 6th St and we were at least 5 years over the demographic. Unless one is 21 or a tourist you do not belong on 6th street. Instead of moving onto other bars or clubs we bought mixers we headed to our rooms where the vodka had been chilling in the ice all day. Ahhh. Nothing like the combination of red wine, champagne, mojitos, mandarin with 7up, then cranberry, then fruit punch Gatorade, then back to the champagne. I’m just thankful that it all stayed down, even if I had to plant one leg on the floor to keep from spinning.


The next morning we were up and out the door to breakfast. I needed something that would seriously absorb my crazy cocktail concoctions from the night before. Nothing does that as well as Austin Tex Mex. Once we had our huevos rancheros and tortillas we were on our way back to Dallas. Of course a stop in West, Texas is required. Trust me…if you’ve never had a kolache from West TX you are missing out. It’s a little piece of Czech heaven. I think we were all looking forward to an afternoon nap once back in Dallas.

THANK YOU ladies for the laughs, and years of friendship. Robin, I won’t even get into how many stops were made in your honor because I love you.

Craft Dallas

I never miss a season of Top Chef, and I love Tom…so I was really looking forward to Craft last night. We were ladies dining sans men. I tend to think for these types of events its a little more fun that way. Chris was happy with cereal and the Olympics, he probably preferred that.

We decided to carpool and save on multiple valet fees. It's still $6 even if you dine with them. We wanted to save any extra $ for the vino of course. We waited almost 10 min when one of the Hosts from inside informed us that the 1 valet they had that evening was very busy, we left our keys with the hostess (making our driver very nervous) and entered Craft. They had our reservation and gave us a nice table. Right away I was impressed with the lighting and the décor was modern, yet comfortable also. The restrooms are outside the restaurant next to the elevators and line for Ghost bar so you leave your cozy table, and are immediately thrown into “Da Club” for that little adventure.

The service from the beginning was excellent. We all reviewed the menu and found that the 1st and 3rd courses were selected by Craft to give us “variety”, and that our only choice was the entrée. An item I was not familiar with was on the menu as a selection: Skate wing. We had to ask, and when he used the words “ray family” and “scraped out cartilage” we were out. Selecting instead the braised short ribs, shirt steak, and seared scallops. We also selected a nice Pinot noire and the beverage director was friendly and not pretentious as many are in that role of the house. It is hard to find a decent red for less than $75 so be prepared.

The food was well proportioned, so no one left stuffed to the gills, or needing to drive thru sonic on the way home. We found both meat dishes a bit cool, as if they were mass prepared before people arrived and set under a warmer until served. The scallops received a much better response. The au gratin potatoes with gruyere cheese were oozing and delicious as were the homemade chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies offered for dessert.

In all it received a rating of 7 out of 10.

Restaurant Week

This is any Dallas foodies’ favorite week of the year. Over 100 of the best restaurants offer a 3 course pre fixed meal for $40. We are talking five star dining for cheap here people. Reservations fill up the day the window opens for accepting them.

This year I was a little slow on the draw, but I did manage two reservations for places I have been dying to try. The first on the list is Craft, in the W Hotel.

The second is Hectors on Henderson. I will have to let you know if they live up to the hype.

Got My Vans On

I hope you all have had the pleasure of hearing the song Vans, by .The Pack I love it. The hook is way to catchy…got my vans on but they look like sneakers. Love it. I tried to get Chris to wear vans in the wedding, but he will never be a vans fan. I thought about wearing ones with sparkle sculls on them (adorable!) but Jimmy Choo won the shoe war.

The song got me to thinking, and on the RSVP we added a line for a song requests. We figured it was a little unique, and might be something fun for the guests to show their personalities. I have to say; so far the results have been mixed. Some didn’t even pick a song, and several that are wrote “anything we can dance too”. Really? Now I will say a few friends have come thru with songs that reflect their personality, and I love those. Some others have picked the usual wedding mush. I want originality, show me who you are, tell me your song!

Pre-Marital Counseling

Sounds fun right? Discussing finances, expectations, in-laws and sex etc with total strangers is a.w.e.s.o.m.e! Actually it’s not as bad as it sounds because the way our church runs the class makes it fun. The class is huge, 35 couples divided into 8 groups (4 each) and assigned a mentor couple (married 15+ years) to go thru the topics over a 4 week period.

The fun part has been getting to know other engaged people our age going thru the same kinds of issues. It’s like we have our own little network now. The flip side has been airing all your stuff for other people. Chris and I tend to have more, um, spirited discussions about some things than others. Not to mention that given the topic it just screams for some kind of funny and inappropriate comment to break the ice. Usually we tend to provide that as well.

This is our last week in the class, and the topic is In-Laws: Can’t change em, can’t kill em. Hilarious. I know Chris is looking forward to this one and he has tons of material.

60 days

As in 60 days until I have a different last name.

As in it's coming faster than I can even imagine,

as in all the showers have come and gone,

as in invitations are in the mail,

as in balances are due to vendors,

as in the dress is currently under alterations,

as in HOLY CRAP.

East Texas

I had never been to East Texas until this past weekend. My parents came to town for a visit, and are convinced the only way they will ever leave California is if they buy a house on a lake.

The requirements: Lots of trees, no alligators or leeches, allows ski boats, at least 1 hour from Dallas but no more than 2, and something lake front but not in a gated community.

So we took a drive, a long drive. In East Texas there are several lakes that fit those parameters. We chose Lake Palestine, Lake Tyler, and Canyon Creek. The only drawback to Canyon Creek is that the address would be in Gun Barrel City. That went over like a turd in a punch bowl. Hello…from California they don’t like guns and definitely don’t want to tell people "Hey, the new address is Gun Barrel City." Ha. The only worse fate they decided would be to live in White Settlement. Also would never happen in the Heinrich family.

We found many things of interest. Now they just need to look at a few more until they know exactly where they want to be. I'm invested of course because it will be my weekend vacation spot, and the future home for the entire summer of my not yet existent children.

Organized Living

I’m not sure how many of you know that I could spend a day in the container store. I really could. I wouldn’t go so far as to use a label maker for the cabinets because if you open a cabinet and see plates, I can assume that no label identifying “plates” is necessary. I might seem unorganized, but it's a secret hobby. I like for things to have a place. I don’t keep things very long, we don’t have a packed garage, I am not at all a “saver”, and I love to throw things out.



We spent the majority of our holiday weekend on a kitchen organization project. It involved 3 or 4 trips to both the container store and target as well as removing cabinet doors and shelves and all the contents of every kitchen and pantry cabinet in the house. It was a hot mess. We added some fancy new tracks and sliding baskets, some drawer organizers, lid and bake ware separators and voila: A totally organized kitchen. We were exhausted, but thrilled that we can now see what is lurking in the rear of our deep pantry cabinets with a mere pull of the basket.



All of this made me wonder. When on earth did I become so freaking boring??? Seriously? Every once in a while I realize that life is so much different. Not boring I guess, but not the thrills I used to seek? Hi, I’m Megan and I like to organize cabinets on the weekend. I have gone to the dark side…domestic bliss.

Pretty Party Parasols

Say it 3x fast people.



Saturday was my 1st bridal shower! It was lunch at the Dallas Arboretum, in the courtyard of the DeGoyer house. The setting was beautiful and so was the décor. The parasols were definitely dual function as the heater was turned on in Dallas. The photos have us looking all cool and collected.The reality is that it brought swamp ass to a whole new level. But this is Texas, and it's June so heat is par for the course.



Some games were played. I think the funniest was a multiple choice game testing who knew me best. Apparently some of my answers threw a few people for a loop. Here is one of those: If Megan could live anywhere, where would she live? 99.9% chose Hawaii. However it would NOT be my pick. It would be Santa Barbara.

The ladies also wanted to debate my favorite show! They guessed the bacehlor/bachelorette. WRONG again. Just because I blog about it does not mean it's my favorite. Friday Night Lights would be the correct answer. I always ask myself WWRD? What would Riggins do. He is on my list for sure.

So is this cake:


Everyone was so generous with the gifts, and really went overboard. We received wonderful things from the kitchen registry. And some fun day trips in Paris from the honeymoon registry.


In attendance were Chris' mom, Grandma, Aunt and Cousin. And my friends Jen, Christine, Melissa, Emily, Meg and Heather.

My friend Kerri was the hostess who flew in from Denver! She did a lovely job.


Would that really be complete without mention of my mom though? She couldn’t attend because she and my dad will be here in Dallas next week, but sent her gift ahead with specific instruction not to open until the shower. I took one look at the card and knew that her gift was going to be different than the others. When it comes to her gifting in general we usually find ourselves singing “which of these things just doesn’t belong here.”

The card read: For those HOT Texan (not texas) nights. Um yeah…got an idea of what it was? Correct…lingerie. It is very pretty, but next to the cupcake tower and cereal bowls? We can always count on her to spice things up, even when she isn’t here.

Big News

Big News People...

Yesterday I went to get my usual 8 week trim, and decided to get BANGS.

This is huge for me. Typhany (my stylist) was even afraid and cut them long, just in case I didn't like them. But I did, and even asked her to make them shorter.

Upcoming News: Wedding Shower this weekend, and my mom's inappropriate card. Good Times.

Engagement Photos

After discussion Chris and I felt that we were 100x more likely to have an engagement pic up in our house, over a wedding pic. A wedding is an event, but the pictures we put up are of our life. So we had them done in April, and I picked them up on Monday.

The photographer (who is awesome) took 100 images, and was sure that it would take Chris and I an hour to look thru them all, and get down to 8-10. Ha, I am the master of knowing when I will hate how I look in a photo for eternity. So after 20 min we had chosen 4...4 images out of 100. We were told we were the most decisive couple she has ever met. Hilarious.






I hope you like them.

Daily Reads

Hello, my name is Megan and I am a Blogaholic.
Is that even a word yet?

I am though, I find one I like, and then see who they read, and eventually it's 2 hours later and I am wrapped up in someone else's life across the country. Sometimes world even.

I have a few that I check every morning because they make me laugh almost all the time. I also have a few that I check every week that are wedding related, but I won't bore you with those. I am sure none of you like exploring wedding theme and color ideas. So I figured if you read this and want a laugh check out these ladies.

Kat

Molly

Happy Birthday Robin

Robin, the youngest in the bunch..(almost).

Happy birthday!!

I am only mildly jealous that you get to celebrate your birthday in the big apple...and get to have cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Actually I am quite jealous. Do you think they might survive in a carry on bag?

I have been lucky enough to have known Robin since the first week I moved to Dallas, and will never forget the TRU layoff morning. I had no idea what I was going to do. I was sitting in my car that morning thinking here I am in a brand new city and I know no one...and my phone rang. It was Robin, calling to see if I was alright. I had known her 3 weeks!! Is it any wonder why I stayed? Great friends, and she is one of them.

Sunday June 15.

The trip is coming to an end. I made brunch reservations for us at the Hotel Del Coronado or the Del as most people call it. However when Chris discovers the cost (because it’s father’s day) he freaks out and we decide to eat our free breakfast at the hotel. We did compromise and go to Coronado and the Del to walk around a bit. I had to show him the best beach in town. When I told him it was where the movie “Some Like It Hot” was filmed he looked at me like I was speaking Greek. He's not into old classics or musicals. I have no idea how he ended up with me. I. Love. Them.



I had given us a cushion (or so I thought) to do some quick shopping and grab a must have beverage. Chris wanted black Reef’s…and I had seen just the place with tons to choose from. After we browsed (and bought) a few pairs we headed to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for an Iced Blended. If you have never had one…I feel sorry for you. They are perfection in a cup. I ordered the original blended mocha, and Chris tried the hazelnut. He took one sip and understood why I talk about them all the time.



We headed to return the rental car, and off to the airport. Here is where it gets fun. Apparently…well actually…I didn’t look at the departure time. I thought I had, I had a time in my head that was the departure time…and I was wrong. So we were 5 min late to check in for our flight, and were told we would have to go standby on the next one. I am flexible. I made a mistake, but I knew that we would get home and chose not to stress about what I couldn’t change. Chris, God love the man, is not as flexible. He was so pissed…I had to take this photo while we were waiting in the airport. And he had even cooled off a little.



So I probably should be more detailed about flights…but I see an adventure, he sees total human ineptitude. Fun times. So we made the next flight, were home one hour later, and all was not lost. Lucky for me the wedding is still on, but I will not be the holder of itineraries for a while.