Thank you, Dylan

One of my favorite drawings of all time, the sign reads "unfair to frogs."

Most of you know me really well. I therefore apologize if you've been around me when I'm at the end of my rope: exhibiting signs of desperation, emotion, panic, and a short temper. I've been in this state near constantly for three weeks (starting the day after Thanksgiving when I broke down into premonition-tears of knowing exactly what I was going to have to go through during my folk dance Christmas concert, moving into our house, and trying to still go to classes let alone do my homework at the same time).

Poor Dylan. He's had to do all that too, but he also had to deal with a fiancee who couldn't breathe for coughing, who could hardly walk on an injured leg, who was breaking emotionally with the thought of never with performing again, and who refused to do necessary things like homework because it was just too much to handle. He's had to work so hard physically to get through a week-long dance concert himself, and even found the energy to help me too.

I've been leaning on Dylan so heavily and am astonished that he's not only let me, but that he keeps asking what more he can do. I adore him, and have the hardest time leaving his side. Most other guys, I think, would have felt smothered by me a long time ago. Somehow Dylan doesn't mind me hounding his steps. I really do stick to him like glue; for the simple reason that when I'm with him I feel like my world is perfect, and not like it's cracking to bits.

I can't believe he's still here. Exposed to the nightmare I've been going through, aren't people supposed to take cover, or run away? He's still here. With me! I am so blessed to have him.

My fiance is brilliant. He works so hard, and has a genius for so many things I have no gift for understanding. He is more diligent than any person I have ever met, always doing the right thing and on the right schedule. Dylan amazes me with this, partially because I am feebly weak in that area. He is patient, he is understanding, giving, and full of light. He makes me laugh, he quotes movies at exactly the right time to save me from despair, and he's still sticking around to marry me.

Thank you, Dylan. Thank you! Thank you because "leaves are crunchy," because "we need to find a new activity," because "it just popped right into my frond!" and because you drove me to Target on BlackFriday at 5am so that we could get a TV. Thank you for making me dinner, for being so nice to my roommates, for walking me home when it's 2 degrees outside, and for wearing that white suit jacket to big band night. Thanks for carrying me up stairs and down hallways when I couldn't move on my own. Thanks for reading me proto-Slavonic literature, and thanks for loving mushrooms, raz-cran, and those frozen bread rolls. Thanks for being the good man you are, for doing everything you're supposed to, and most of all,

Thanks for asking me to marry you.

Drive Away

If I could do anything today, I'd get a car with a full tank of gas and drive away-- hop the freeway and follow the sun west.


If I could do anything today, I'd fill a container with birdseed and converse with the finches.


If I could do anything today, I'd curl up with a good book. Or five.

"Meanwhile, I'm Still Here."

I'm still alive! Posting is evidence. While I'm letting you know that I still exist, take a look at my latest two inspirations of cake decor:



Props to anyone who gets the quote.

To Make A Cake

I've long fantacized about making my own wedding cake. This one (that I'm wanting to make) would not be too complicated, and would taste absolutely divine. Not to mention the fact that making it myself would save me $300, and I already have all of the ingredients, including the 15 bags of frozen raspberries needed for the filling. 

What do you think I should do? Are you of the opinion that a bride making her own wedding cake will just be a disaster, too stressful, etc? Or do you think it could turn out all right?

Also, I hate the "let's poke flowers into a cake to make it look more elegant for their wedding" philosophy. If you're not going to eat it, don't put it on the cake.  I love that this one is garnished with white and red raspberries. Not only is it elegant, but just one glance is enough to make you ache to taste it. Right? "Of course right."

FOR RENT

Dylan and I are renting our first home today! 

Maybe I will dress like her when I sign the contract. 

Holiday Goodness!

Restoration Hardware is my latest company to drool over. Sorry, Martha. Get this-- vintage handblown Christmas tree ornaments. Geez! They're even prettier in color. My mom will love the Victorian-ness of all the holiday decor and the trunk collection. Personally, I'm swooning over the garlands and wreaths. 

17 Days of Hectic-Near-Misery

Panic! There's too much to do! I'm swamped!

I still have 25 days left before I get married, but I'm only worried about the next 17. 

I almost lost it today because I thought I'd taken care of everything and that I'd be able to do everything on my list when au contraire, something that I thought wasn't needed until tomorrow, was due immediately. I about fainted. And of course, since when I'm concentrating hard I wear a look that could burn holes into concrete, people thought I was really really angry. Sweet, patient Dylan thought I was mad at him, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Oy vey.

I am a genuinely sweet and caring person; it's a quite obvious fact to everyone I interact with. Until I have a deadline. Then I turn into stay-out-of-her-path-and-don't-speak-for-fear-of-instant-undeserved-cruelty-woman.  Sigh. I really do need to work on my tendency to snap at people during crunch time, or I may just end up murdering my future children. 

I probably would have snapped this afternoon after clogging, but by some grand mercy of the ever-benevolent God, when I walked into the locker room to drop off my clogs four separate people said things like "Rachel! It's so good to see you!" and "hey sunshine, I love you to pieces," "thanks for being so nice to me," "it's good to see you," etc. Those dear angels softened my heart (and my facial expression) and when I walked back into the hallway I felt a bit more cheerful. 

The next 17 days will pass, still leaving me intact. "Right? Of course right." Luckily there's a bunch of good stuff in those 17 days too, and I have so many good friends in my life that undoubtedly-- I'll have no choice but to smile.  Right? Oh please, please, please let that be true....

P.S. I do just want to laugh everytime somebody says they want to take me out to lunch. "When are you free?" they ask. My answer? "January."

Taking Care of Illness

I'm sick again.  Yesterday I thought, "I'm engaged, so shouldn't I have immunity to stuff like this or something?" But then I remembered that my sister Alicia had mono while she was engaged and I decided that a head cold isn't so bad. Even if it is a really bad head cold. 

You know what, though? I have the sweetest fiance*. He spent all day yesterday in my apartment so he could take care of me! I'm spoiled rotten. I'm just so blessed to have Dylan in my life. I can't help but adore him.  

If you're sick and you don't have a Dylan to take care of you, or even if you do, use free these things three: orange juice, DayQuill, and Puffs. 

A piping hot mug of orange juice is all the acid you need to wash gunk out of your throat. Besides that, it tastes absolutely divine. Today I'm sipping Tropicana, which is sweeter than other OJ's. 

Don't forget your DayQuill. It's the reason I was conscious yesterday.  And audible. 

My sister Melissa is very smart. For example, everytime she's sick she purposefully buys amazing kleenex that won't destroy her nose. Since all I had around my apartment yesterday was tissue paper (not an exaggeration,) I followed her lead and bought myself some PuffsPlus. The box has roses on the front, and they mae me and my nose very happy. Tee hee. 

*Mr. French-studies-major that he is taught me that a "fiancee" is a girl who is engaged and that a "fiance" is a man who is engaged. Would you believe there is a different spelling for that?

Odd Sized Measuring Spoons

from SpoonSisters.com

We've all seen the cute measuring spoons for a "pinch," and a "dash," but there is one spoon in this set that I'd just LOVE to have: an oh-so-coveted 2 tsp spoon! Making my choc-chip-cookies would be a snap if I had that. 

I certainly don't need it, but wouldn't it be so great just to drool over? Which reminds me. Thank you, Mama dearest for bringing me that cookie scoop when you came out to visit last. I am still ever so grateful for its luxury. :)

Help With Research

I'm THIS close to deciding on what ring to get Dylan for our wedding. I've picked a few out and just need to ask him which he prefers. 

Before I do, I'm hoping that you can all let me in on some information you've noticed about your rings or your husband's rings' material. Is there anything that you think I should know before buying one, or something that you would recommend? Comments about white gold, platinum, stainless steel, titanium, and tungsten would be most appreciated. 

Jesus Is Like A Mounty?

Kudos to my future aunt-in-law (do they have those?) for finding this movie. I'll let you know if I ever recover from laughing and can breathe again. "ZAP!"

Hommina Hommina

I miss my orange bedroom. Perhaps it was was the way light danced across the paint, reflecting warmth and a "welcome home" vibe, but It was actually stress relieving just to walk into the room.

"If I could, I surely would" copy this design of Jeffrey Bilhuber. His choice to use drapes the same color as the wall surprised me, but then decided that it felt as if the warmth of the orange was free to envelope you rather than remain confined to the walls.

People always grimace when I say that I love to decorate in deep color-- specifically orange. But it doesn't have to look tacky. And if you're thinking, "dear me, that's WAY too much orange," there's always this option:

Bed Cravings

Robin egg blue bed found by RoomLust

While on the subject of expense, I would like to scream a few words. Ahem. CHEAP BED FRAMES ARE TOO EXPENSIVE TO BE SO UGLY! There, now. I feel much better.

Thankfully, the alternative is to make my own. Plywood, 2" foam, batting, fabric, some nails, covered buttons, a'couple hours of work, a good staple gun, and voila: the classiest, coziest, squishiest, I-want-to-sleep-there bed you've ever seen. It's the DIY trend, apparently. Hopefully I can pull it off. Of course, it would be a lot easier if... a certain someone... would perhaps... help? (Please, Mom?)

The Expense of Purple

I know you've all heard that purple used to only be for the elite class and that it was really expensive, blah blah blah. I now know why.  From 1600 BC to the Caesars, purple dye could only be produced from--get this-- the mucus of mollusks, and took 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of dye. 

The Mollusks were only to be obtained from one place: fathoms underwater, clinging to the rocks of the northern shore of Israel, which in ancient times was the location of Phoenicia. It is fitting, therefore, that the word Phoenicia literally meant "land of purple." To learn about the difficult process of acquiring the mollusks, read here. 

In Rome, the dye was called "Tyrian purple," because the purple came from the city of Tyre, located on the northern coast of Palestine. It is this purple dye that was used in textile furnishings of the Tabernacle, for the sacred clothing for the High Priest, and for use in both Solomon and Herod's temples in Jerusalem. 

And, a note to my blog-- Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purple-dyed silk garment, because it cost its weight in gold. Sheesh!

As if From a Storybook

Yesterday Dylan and I had a conversation about what certain peoples in Europe were originally famous for. France, we decided had the monopoly on art, Italians for architecture, Germans for music and philosophy, and the Brits for literature. Everyone copied their neighbors of course, and we may be completely off about who originally came up with the "best" of things, but it was just a brief conjectured conversation. 

While discussing architecture, though, Dylan mentioned German castles. "I've seen a ton of great castles in France," he said, "but nothing like the ones in Germany." I quite agree with him. 

I really hope that someday I get to see Neuschwanstein Castle; it is oh so lovely. And how could any castle have a better setting? Look at those mountain ridges! "Mmm*, can't beat that."

* "Scotch tape? What is wrong with you, Kathleen?"

What I learned at school today

Take a look at Cleopatra's family tree. Hello, inbreeding! Whew, that is one messed-up family. 

I have this thing for cranberries

Ask Dylan what my favorite thing to drink is, and he'll probably say "raz-cran" or "cran-raz," which are two separate drinks. "Raz-cran" is raspberry-cranberry juice from concentrate that I buy at the grocery store and hoard in my freezer. "Cran-raz" is short for "Cran-apple-raz" MinuteMaid bottles of juice that I buy on campus when I'm having a bad day.

I love all things cranberrry: bread, muffins, tarts, juices, fillings, beverages, sherbet, heck-- I even love the color and the band.

But king of them all is the beloved cranberry sauce. I usually will eat two whole cups of it over Thanksgiving, just with a spoon. And lucky me, I've already purchased a bag of fresh cranberries to transform into the delectable stuff. Mwahahahahhahaha! It's gonna be good. Especially since it's MINE! MINE, ALL MINE!*

*"you can't have any, you're too young."

Q: How can I spice up a boring space?

A: Fake architecture. In this case, they used paint as well (which helps,) but even if you can't paint, you still have other options. My favorite example of fake architecture is the use of a freestanding mantle that doesn't cover a fireplace. You can either buy one, or make a shelf out of a giant picture frame and a board. Some fake-fireplaces have mirrors in the spaces, and others are just empty, or have other things layered inside such as pictures, branches, or flowers.


A: Fabrics. Not only can you find color solutions from pillows and throws, but you get instant coziness as well. Fabrics and soft textures make an environment seem both more relaxing, and inviting, and rugs add dimension to a room. Without fabrics your room will feel stiff, austere, and much less comfortable.

A: Texture. Right along with fabric, textures will add dimension to your space. Stay away from too many smooth surfaces, and try for wicker, cork, bent metal, or thick wool. Rough pages of old books also can provide texture. Of course, my favorite use of texture still has to be using newspaper for wallpaper. Mmmm, that's nice.

A: Living things. Add plants, flowers, or a parakeet to your space. They'll add color, and freshness, and won't look like they were factory made. Living things within a space extend their life to the space itself, transforming a static room into something unpolluted and vibrant. Besides, aren't we encouraged to "go green?" Buy a plant. Not to mention that if you have a plant-- you could also get a colorful bin to put it in-- which would give both dimension, pizazz, and aha, you guessed it, more color.


A: Don't neglect lighting. Overhead lamps flush everything (and everyone) out, give the appearance of an institution, lower the appearance of the ceiling, cause harsh glares, and do nothing to make a scene intimate and cozy. Use more lamps: direct light toward the ceiling instead of the floor, and buy "warm" lightbulbs, by which I mean to use incandescent light instead of halogen or fluorescent.

A: Create a sense of harmony. There are several ways of doing this, but the easiest are to A) use light, medium, and dark tones, and B) "gradation" which is the use of progressive sizes of the same object, like nesting circles that get larger and larger in a linear pattern across the wall. Also, I present to you concepts c and d. C) Use natural shapes like circles, ovals, or patterns. D) "Like kind" objects can lump a space together; the phrase tweaked slightly will illustrate-- "opposites distract." Harmony is a harder concept to envision, but rather simple to remember-- small, medium, large, and light, medium, dark. Ta da! Harmonius space.


A: If you wish to make eyes pop, there are three easy ways of doing this. 1. Paint a catchy color on the wall, 2. prominently display a round mirror or large-clock on the wall (the eyes of all will instantly dart to it, I assure you), and 3. use complementary colors. Some think it is faux-pas to use both red and green in a display, or blue and orange, but it can look quite attractive with the right hues.*

*Authors note: I did paint my room pumpkin-orange in high school, and I had slate-blue carpet. No, I did not plan this, and while I don't recommend it-- at least it didn't clash too terribly with the orange.

I Want One

It looks like snow. :) And you'd never guess-- it's baby's breath!

Crimson & Champagne

My wedding colors are: cream, champagne, and crimson. Here are samples of just exactly what champagne and crimson are, as I don't think anyone has a question of what "cream" is.

Nobody Tells Me What I Can and Cannot Do

Dance Audition Tonight!

Photo by Robert Doisneau

I'm auditioning for SPAC tonight (back-up folk tour team). Three hours of Israeli, Hungarian, Ukranian, and clogging dance styles. Wish me luck!

Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul