dolly

How cute is my mommy? For the last couple months, she's been fretting about whether or not she'd find a dress for my wedding. Errr.. You still have nine months.

Anyway, she called me with good news! She picked up not one, but two options on sale at Nordstrom.

Option 1: Simple silk dress with matching jacket in a lovely shade of blue.

Very elegant. Very safe.

Option 2: Hot momma wearing a slightly irredescent navy blue taffeta with a darling floral neckline. Perfectly echoing the rosette on my bridesmaids' dresses.

Very daring. Very Audrey Hepburn, no? Very va-va-voom - for my mom any way.

Gotta take the hem up a few inches though. Show some skin.

Mommy decided to keep both. One to wear to my cousin's wedding in July and the other to wear to mine!

Can you guess which one I'd prefer at mine?

i can breathe now

After thinking long and hard, my dad decided that instead of an intimate dinner for six (HB's parents, my parents and us) for the first meeting, it would be less pressure to have a dinner party with my dad's side of the family in conjunction with his 60th birthday. (That sentence seems awkward! Sorry!) More people around gabbing = less awkward silences.

Anyway, we ended up choosing Zen Garden Chinese Restaurant in Mill Creek as the location because they could accomodate twenty people easily and affordably. Food was delicious. And with all the conversations going around, no one felt the need to fill the space with idle chatter. It was a huge load off my shoulders - especially since HB was grumpy, dumpy. Phooey.

Mommy sat by Mommy and made small talk. My poor dad confessed to me later that he didn't want talk to them too much because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hear their responses! (He's gone deaf in one ear. Boo.)

Thinking it was finally over, and forgetting how gracious HB's parents' can be, they insisted on inviting my parents out for dinner the next night! Yes, you read that right. Another dinner. I suppose it's better than them fighting for the bill that night! I remember this one time where my mom and some guy ripped the receipt in half after struggling for several minutes. Crazy.

For the next meal, we went to Tamarind Tree for Vietnamese food. Not my favorite place at all, but HB's parents didn't want us to go to some scuzzy hole in the wall, even if the food is better!

I can understand. Good first impressions right?

This time they invited their side of the family and it turned out to be a good thing because HB and I haven't seen anyone since we got engaged!

And then I went for a massage the next day. I needed it.

Peace at last!

nice to meet you

As organized and on-top-of-things I may seem to be, the one task I've been dreading the most is having Hunny Bunny's and my parents meet for the very first time.

And now I've been informed that they will be coming for a visit next weekend. (They live about a 5-hour drive away.) I know, we've been together for nearly 5 years and they still haven't met each other!

I guess it just never came up. Speaking of coming up though, I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

Honestly, I've probably only seen his parents maybe 10 times total. HB on the other has gone on vacation with me and my family. Lucky him.

Now I'm scrambling to think of a place where everyone will be comfortable for dinner.
It needs to be a little bit loud, not too intimate - so that there will be less uncomfortable silences. (Notice I said less!)

HB's not much help when it comes to conversation either. He rarely helps the conversation along because he's not into participating and he's not really good about including other people in the conversation, especially when it requires translations. I guess I'll just start yammering away about the planning so far and hope that that's enough.

I also don't really know what they like to eat because when we visit them, HB's mom usually cooks Vietnamese food. I do know that they like the Olive Garden, but I don't want to take them somewhere where they can eat at home... Fortunately, HB's parents and my parents aren't prentetious eaters (like me!) so I'm sure they'll be happy and gracious with where ever we choose.

Anyway, what do you think? Any suggestions? I don't want to take them anywhere they might not get i.e. some place that serves small food that's stacked up pretty. Maybe Asian food, but that seems too casual. I don't want to choose a place where we have to wait an hour for a table because they don't take reservations. How tacky would I look if that were to happen?

I'm probably just adding undue pressure on myself because I want it to be perfect and I want them to like each other. Oh whatever. I just want everyone to like me!

And what am I going to wear?! Now that's a task that I don't mind concentrating on.

On the brightside, maybe we'll be able to hammer out the details of some of the traditional things both cultures may want to include during the festivities. At the very least, I can get HB's mom's guest list.

tbc...