30 September, 2010

wedding planning: hair...again!


it's official.

i'm growing my hair out for the wedding.

it hasn't been cut in months.

can you tell?


haha! levi said i looked like andy warhol after he blew it out.

it's severely overgrown, and we're just gonna keep letting it grow between now and the wedding! he's not going to cut it again 'til my hair trial. i might go crazy.

we asked one of the other stylists at levi's salon to do my wedding hair! i'm so excited! he's so good with curl and styles for special events!! he curled a small section of my hair a couple nights ago. i was in love with it!! here's a tiny-mini preview:


it's going to be so pretty and romantic-looking, especially with my veil. i can't wait!

(btw, i wish i could wear a cathedral length veil with a blusher all day, every day.)


29 September, 2010

world's tiniest closet


i just thought you should know that i have one of the world's tiniest closets.


i have exactly 24 inches to hang up all my clothes. you don't know how HARD it is to pull them out! the hangers are so cramped that i can hardly keep them from popping off the bar.


and i really don't even have that many clothes! if we owned this place, we would rip out the closet and replace it with something that made a little more sense.

or if we had a bunch of money to burn, we would buy a bunch of those fancy, space-saving hangers.

ahhh, if only i had invented facebook. then i would be a punk, genius billionaire with plenty of money for hangers...and closets...and lots and lots of clothes.


28 September, 2010

topless


ugh. it's been SO HOT.

i thought we had escaped the nasty late summer heat this year! instead, it was 109 in long beach yesterday.

fingers crossed it doesn't last.

'cause if it does, i might have to start running around half naked like my five year old self.

(ohhhh, look at that attitude. i remember i was terrified of sliding down those rocks below, and my parents kept trying to make me...so that's the reaction they got. yikes. i swear i wasn't a brat. all the time.)



27 September, 2010

10:52, saturday night






gosh, we're an exciting bunch.

24 September, 2010

this week.


i'm feeling rather disconnected this week. do you ever have weeks like that? where you almost get to a numb place void of feeling, emotion, passion, and inspiration.

it's not like i feel bad. not at all. i just don't really feel much of anything. it's off and on of course, but, for the most part, this is how i've felt. i'm pretty sure it's a result of being overwhelmed and stressed.

i don't really like it, but i think it's important for me to just "be" in this place right now. why fight it? i spend so much of my energy fighting, forcing, controlling, and "fixing" my feelings, thoughts, reactions, everything. it's really exhausting, and it wears down my self-esteem and confidence.

i never just go with the flow or accept things the way they come. honestly, this can be a huge strength in some ways. i refuse to settle, and i like to go after what i want. but sometimes, i just need to let go and simply exist in the moment.

don't you wish there was a pill for that? i do. i kinda wish there was a pill for everything. :)

here are some photos that i keep staring at lately. levi took them on his iPhone when we went to the huntington library a few weeks ago. i'm not sure why, but they always make me feel calm and happy when i see them. i think they're sort of appropriate for this post.


(i thought it was really funny that levi kept taking pictures of these guys' butts.)

(this is almost exactly what i picture when i go to my "happy/peaceful place" in my mind. i just wanna run around & dance through that field all by myself.)


okay, that's all i've got today. i'm gonna try to give myself a relaxing, nurturing weekend. i hope you're able to do the same.

23 September, 2010

a little help for a friend


one of my blog friend's, geri, has a husband, jason, who is trying to win an $18,000 scholarship for people with cystic fibrosis.

the winner is decided by voting. i know this scholarship would help these two out immensely, so it would be really awesome if you could vote for him!

it's really easy - just click this link, click "vote online," and fill in your name and email address. you can also vote on the phone or by text.

you can read more about it on geri's blog!

thank you so much! i know they'll really appreciate it. :)




wedding planning: the beautification process


hair and makeup!!

i am totally at a loss for what to do in the hair department.

what do i do with my hair???

it's really long (for me) right now, so do i continue growing it? but do i really want to be in an awkward growing out phase from now until then? and what if i don't like it? then, i have to cut my hair right before the wedding??

and the biggest question of all:

who's going to do my hair??? levi has made it clear that this won't be happening on our wedding day:


i also have to find someone to do my makeup...i know who i want - a girl i went to esthetician school with. i've never liked my makeup better than when she did it.


i know i will absolutely not be doing my own hair and makeup on my wedding day. i would be way too nervous. i have SOOOO much admiration for brides who do their own wedding hair and/or makeup.

what about you? did you do your own hair? your own makeup? did you go somewhere to have it done? did they come to you? or if you're not married, what's your plan?




21 September, 2010

goodbye, summer!



you were grand, but tomorrow autumn moves in.

and i couldn't be more pleased!


(another thing i'm pleased about - the glee season premiere tonight!!! yippeeeee!)



20 September, 2010

wanna hear something funny? always.


can i please tell you how hilarious it is that levi's clients are now BRINGING HIM TREATS TO GIVE TO ME?!?!??


hilarious and AWESOME!

one of levi's regulars brought in jo's dark salted caramels to give to me over the weekend. they are one of favorite treats (they're up there with happy hippos, licorice laces, & my very favorite, le macaron).

we have the world's best people in our lives.

18 September, 2010

cover girl


my beautiful olivia is on the cover of the fall issue of southern flourish magazine!


she also happens to be their food & travel editor.

check out the fall issue here
and visit their website here.

17 September, 2010

makeover time




last weekend, we decided that our diet needed a makeover.

our stomachs have been hurting constantly lately due to all the stress of the wedding and life, in general. plus, i'm trying to lose weight for my wedding dress!

so.....

we gave up meals!

now we're just kind of snacking throughout the day and night - eating small amounts of food often. no more big meals.

it's working! our stomachs don't hurt all the time, and i think i might have lost some weight! woo!

things we're eating: eggs, chicken, bagels, yogurt covered raisins, acai smoothies, nuts, seeds, cheese, lots of apples, bananas, lots of granola, chocolate.

now we just need to work some vegetables in!
i'm loving the new diet. i feel better, more energetic. and i don't feel the need to stuff myself because i know i'll be eating again soon. we haven't given up any foods. i really don't believe in that. it's a recipe for disaster for me. we're just trying to make good choices and eat fattier stuff in smaller quantities.

i don't know how long we'll keep it up, but we like it for now.



16 September, 2010

wedding planning: s-t-d!


don't worry, s-t-d = save-the-date.

almost everyone has received our save-the-dates by now (except for the hard-to-get-ahold-of-people who won't give us their addresses!!!!), so it's safe to share them here!

yay!!

our friend thomas took the photo, i edited the photo and came up with the concept, and levi designed them by hand. we love them.

here's the front:


and the back:


we had them printed by postcards.com.

SUCH a good deal. we had 300 printed (we did not send out 300 s-t-ds - their increments were weird), and it was less than $50 including the shipping. the quality was excellent. they seriously look amazing. we will absolutely be using them for future projects.

and since they were postcards, postage was only 28 cents.


annnnnd, now this whole wedding thing is starting to feel very, very real.

:)

15 September, 2010

how do i love thee, j.crew?


i think you all know how much i love j.crew already.

if not, I LOVE J.CREW!!

probably half of my wardrobe is from that fabulous place.

and now i have more reason to love them besides their amazing clothes/shoes and gorgeous styling.

i bought some boots from j.crew about 3, maybe even 4, years ago. they were not cheap.

i probably wore them 4 times.

the boots in question can be seen here:

(these are the only photos i have that showcase my boots. i think they're hilarious - me getting spun and flung around by some random, crazy, french guy. do you know how hard that was in those damn boots??)


as you can see the boots are rather high. also, i bought them a size too big, so i had trouble keeping them on my feet. not comfortable at all. they've been in hiding for awhile. levi claims he has never seen me wear them (however, i am quite certain that i wore them exactly once during our courtship phase).

so i pulled them out of the closet the other day to see if i can get some use out of them this fall. and what did i find?? the boots, that had only been worn maybe 4 times ever, were broken! the entire sole on the inside was almost completely unattached. totally unwearable.

as it turns out, i still had the box (with the tag and barcode) that they had come in. i took them into j.crew this weekend feeling like the little old lady who brought back old tires to nordstrom (fellow former retail workers will know exactly what i'm talking about), totally embarrassed.

but guess what?

they totally returned them for me!!!!

how's that for excellent customer service?!?! i love companies like this.

and now i have a lovely little gift card to j.crew that i'm saving for something special! yippee!!!

you know what's fun?


when your whole family piles into one car for a little excursion to LA, but there's more people than seatbelts, so you get to sit in the way back, with your fiancé's iPhone, a blanket, a donut, & a redbull.


and all your childhood fantasies come true.

14 September, 2010

at the plaza


i have kind of a thing for the eloise books by kay thompson (illustrated by hilary knight).

i love that little eloise.

i've been collecting the books over the last few years so that i'll have them all for my little girl(s). i have every book except for eloise in moscow. i've got time to pick it up. and i fully intend to do an eloise at the plaza inspired girl's bedroom one day.

and maaaaaybe if we're really rich or really really lucky, i can take my daughter(s) on a girls weekend to stay in the amazing eloise suite at the plaza in new york city. maaaaaaybe.

anyway, have you seen any of the eloise movies?


hahaha! that first little girl is me. i might have had a bit of that precocious eloise spirit when i was a little girl...

definitely not now though.




no, certainly not.

what children's books are you most excited to share with your future little ones? or if you already have kiddos, what were you looking forward to reading them before you had them?


13 September, 2010

vegas....finally!


soooo our friends took us to las vegas a couplefew weeks ago, and i am jusssst now getting around to posting about it.

you might say i've been a little bit overwhelmed & busy lately. :)

anyway, we had the best time on our trip! it was me, levi, and 6 other guys! ha! i was the only girl!

we stayed in a really gorgeous suite at a resort-style hilton at the end of the strip. our room had a big jacuzzi jet tub and a really cool shower with all kinds of jets. one of our hosts, will, even got me mr. bubble to use in my big old bath tub! you know i did. i may have even taken a snack in there...

we spent our days out by the pool and our nights eating super yummy, delicious food (the tasting menu at the red square was DELICIOUS).

it was so fun & relaxing, such a nice, welcome break from reality.

we saw the most brilliant skies on the drive out. there was even an insane lightning storm in the distance for hours. it was gorgeous.


when everyone arrived to the hotel (one couple drove separately and another flew), we all toasted with some dom perignon. fancy!


pool time!


my favorite part of the trip was visiting the wynn hotel. oh so gorgeous! we sat out by the "lake of dreams" for a couple hours sipping coffee and chatting. and i even tried my first martini ever out there - a dirty martini! salty!


spot the jasmine!


the only thing i regret is that we didn't get one big group picture...so i have to settle for two photos that include the whole crew.

(tim, will, and adam)

(levi, jasmine, drew, troy, and jason)

it was such a fun trip. i miss my vegas boys!



09 September, 2010

the one where i ask for help



our wedding is four months from today.

and that scares the crap out of me.
(don't get me wrong; i'm really excited too.)

we are nowhere close to ready.

you may remember the financial setback we experienced early on in the planning process.

since then, we have had so many kind offers.

i've always dreamed of my wedding being a communal event, something extremely personal that isn't bound by tradition. something woven together by me & levi and the people who love us.

well, as it turns out, the circle of people who love us is much bigger than i thought. it extends out to this community right here. the community i've become part of through this blog - through writing, sharing my life, and learning about yours. i feel so loved by all of you.

and some of you have even been kind enough to donate your time and services to make this wedding happen.

kathleen gifted us her insanely amazing design services and custom designed the most incredible wedding invitations for us. i can't WAIT to show you guys these things. they're gorgeous. i wish i didn't have to wait 'til we send them to our guests!

monica is flying out from georgia to shoot our wedding free of charge. i almost passed out when i read her email. it was God-sent.

it's really exciting to see how this wedding is coming together. don't get me wrong, it's kind of terrifying too, but i know that it will all work out exactly how it should.

i hate asking for help. i've never been very good at it. i'm terribly proud, and i always think that i can do everything myself. however, in this case, i have to admit that i can't do this myself.

sooooo, if you would like to help me and levi put this wedding together by donating time, services, etc., please let me know.

we still need to figure out how we're going to feed everyone, flowers, tailoring (ugh. i am SOOOOO nervous about this one.), desserts, quilts for ceremony seating, etc., etc.

i don't know how we can repay you, but if you can think of something we can give you in return, we can definitely try to work something out. levi can make you a painting or do your hair. i've got this blog. we can make you some bottlecap magnets?!!??!

i hope this post isn't off-putting to anyone. it was really difficult for me to humble myself and write it. thank you so much for all your kind words and generosity of spirit. you don't know how much it means to us. we're already so filled with gratitude, and we hope to express that as well as we can.

i've disabled comments on this post. you can email me at jasmine.lael@gmail.com .

07 September, 2010

wedding planning: dream details



i have always loved photo booths, especially at weddings.

i mean, who doesn't??

they're so much fun! they're like an activity and a little gift all in one.

levi & i went to a wedding this summer and took these:



and then, we went to a birthday party and took these:


and that leads me to my dream detail for our wedding...also know as, "yeah right. in my dreams."

i would love love love to hire this guy for our wedding (some photos on his website are MUCH more risqué than others - you've been warned. i recommend gallery number six.).

he sets up a photo opportunity at any type of event, complete with props and insanely amazing professional lighting (our photos were taken outside at night.). then, your guests take turns having their picture taken throughout the event. john, the photographer, is great. he gives each and every person direction, and he makes you feel comfortable.

and it is SOOOOOO much fun. it's not just having your picture taken. it's entertainment.

ahhhhh, i would looooove to have him at our wedding for our guests.


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