January 8, 2011

Wedding Singer

We just got back from meeting with the band I think that we are going to hire. I realized how important it is to be passionate about what you are doing in life, because everything turns out a greater success if that ingredient is present. Perfect example, David Rothstein. Besides that I felt a solid bond around him because he was your typical Jew (always gives me a nice comfortable feel right off the bat), he was 130% excited about meeting Doug and I this Saturday afternoon, and chatting with us about our upcoming event.

This guy has an office out of his warm yet crazily decorated Roscoe Village condo. It was a short drive straight down Damen to get there. Super close, and Doug was able to pick me up right after I finished Dailey Method. Love it.

I was impressed by the amount of things this guy had to talk about, examples of the rave reviews that he had been provided by those that had hired him, and the joy that he took in putting together unique, entertaining and ridiculous good times for his clients. I think the band is one of those things that holds a wedding together, it's truly the backbone of the entire event. That having been said, David certainly doesn't come cheap, but hey, he seems like he's worth every penny.

During the time that we had spent there, amongst the bad joke telling (yet in a jolly delivery that made it alright) and the drinking of two hot chocolates that he whipped up for us while we sat on his lumpy brown couch, he was asking us a good deal about who Doug and I were as a couple. David Rothstein and his band typically like to weave a special theme personalizing the feel of the entertainment into each wedding they complete, which I love, but I must admit, it was an interesting topic to think about--what Doug and I have in common. Many of the weddings he has worked with have provided insight into their lives and usually end up getting a special gift from David along the lines of new bowling pins, special concert tickets, or matching college football hats for a team they met cheering for. After a little amount of soul searching (which I'm continuing to do today) about who Doug and I are within our relationship, I realized that we are completely different. Sports: He likes the Reds, I like the Cubs, and we give each other dirty looks in the bleachers when the teams play each other. Food: Doug loves sausage, spicy flair, and a good beer; my dream meal would include a fresh cooked cuisine meal incorporating words such as "organic," "vegetarian" and "whole grain" along with a deep Spanish or Argentinian Red Wine. Doug likes to play organized sports to get his exercise for motivation. I can easily wake up at 5:45am in the dead of winter and bike to a Dailey Method class or run outside in the snow on Christmas Day (like I did this year). I could go on for a while about this.

Point being, we are completely different, but I think that we have core values that tie us together, rather than "things." We are both very competitive people in most things that we do (one of the things I love about Doug is that he doesn't think I'm crazy when I for example, got really competitive while playing a casual co-ed game of touch football and practically body checked a girl). Next, we love to try new foods at new restaurants and in new locations. Yes I'm a healthier eater, but Doug is better at portions with his food, and we love to experience new restaurants and recipes. We both love to drink (I don't think it would work if we weren't on the same page there given the amount of alcohol that we typically consume). We both like to travel (neither of us is afraid to fly obviously), we are both afraid of heights (I must admit that it's awesome not having a boyfriend/fiance/whatever that is one who'd make me skydive or cliff jump or something ridiculous like that), and both like to have a good time. I think that our differences keep things interesting and unique each day.

So that's the long winded answer to where my thoughts are right now. Hope it's not a big deal I'm sharing this on my blog, but I figure that one day I'll look back and remember how lucky I am to find someone who is not super alike me, who compliments me better than most!

How do I tell that to the David Rothstein band when we hire him (which I plan to do within the next 24 hours after we chat with our families). I'll figure out the overall feel of our wedding entertainment soon. I'm sure it will come out flawlessly. Just excited about a string quartet while I'm walking down the aisle!

Check out his website. Pretty amazing the nice things that people have said about him! I'm really looking forward to this.

Cheers,
Mish

January 4, 2011

Rain Drops are Falling on my Couch.


Our ceiling leaked right before I left for Colorado. Of course, I was watching "Did You Hear about the Morgans" (worst/best movie ever that I unfortunately happen to love, sorry, because it helped me survive the flight coming home from South Africa when I had a swollen ankle that was so terrible, the swelling traveled up to the top of my knee cap). Point being, I was having a very nice relaxing evening thank you, when I thought a bug entered my vision. Nope certainly wasn't a bug. It was a drip of water. From the light fixture above the WHITE couch. I jumped to my feet to realize that it had apparently been dripping for hours, and had leaked through the entire couch already. The only type of this word I like to use is a type of veggie which I boil down and place into a savory soup, not the kind where water pours from your ceiling. Bleh. This had happened once before, but of course, this happened when I was alone in the apartment and Doug was already hitting the slopes where I'd meet him the next day.

I put a large bucket underneath the drip, ripped all the cushions from the couch, and realized that the water dripping was rusted color. Oh CRAP. How to clean? If you have been around me especially at work, you know I'm not a huge fan of West Elm customer service, so of course when I phoned the store, they said "take it to get dry cleaned." No thanks. I don't feel like spending $100 on this if I don't have to. Thank you Google.com for being amazeballs.
What to do if you are in a pickle and your cotton light furniture is stained.

Cool Water 1 cup

Dish washing liquid 1/3 cup

2 sponges (clean)

A beater that you use to make cream cheese frosting

Directions: Beat the mixture together until foamy. Wipe off the bubbles from the top of the mixture. Scrub it onto the couch. Use wet sponge to wipe away any residue. Blot with paper towels. Blow dry area if you'd like. Just don't blow a fuse like I did (that's another story for another time)! What a disaster. However, my cushions are spotless!