She’s really small, only about 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) tall.

(More Photos on Flickr)

I drew the octopus and the adorable Jenny of Timeless Tattoo in Atlanta inked her for me

Not only is Jenny super sweet but also an amazing artist (be sure to take a peek at her work!) While researching tattoo studios in Atlanta I came across her website and knew immediately that she was perfect ♥ She corresponded with me via email prior to my visit and answered all my questions. We are definitely kindred spirits. Her office is full of cute toys, including a Domo-kun, which my husband pointed out to ease my nerves as the procedure began. Even her tattoo machines are Hello Kitty

Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t painful. Uncomfortable, yes, but not painful. I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to take the pain. A few years ago I had laser hair removal… the pain still haunts me. For laser hair removal to be successful, you must endure 5 sessions. Needless to say, I barely made it though the first; therefore, I still have the pleasure of shaving daily William maintains that my procedure was botched. I did have a scar on my belly for some time where my “happy trail” hair was singed. Perhaps he’s correct…

Do you have a tattoo? If so, what do you have and where do you have it? Does it have a special significance? Feel free to share photos

P.S. — I suppose I’ll honor William’s request and refrain from referring to my tattoo as “my little octopussy,” a line about an octopus tattoo from the James Bond film Octopussy

I’m on the left of the splicer who puts my costume to shame

My dress is an 80s Jessica McClintock prom dress I found on eBay.

The splicer costumes above were made by Erica G. — see the link for more of her amazing designs!

You can see more of my photos from the convention on my Flickr.  This year I was only able to attend Friday evening and Sunday.  Will and I signed up for the Halo 3 tournament but were unable to compete because Will didn’t get off work on time.  I overslept Saturday and missed the parade Next year I plan to purchase the weekend pass (and score some autographs!)

If you’re attending D*C 2010 please let me know so that we can meet up!

Wow… I can’t believe our wedding is only about 5 months away Everything seems to be falling into place but there is still so much to do.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it or not, but the cake is what I’m most excited about Rhonda from Confections on the Coast is my pastry chef.  I fell in love with this cake of hers:

For my cake, however, I chose this shape:

Below is a preliminary sketch of my cake (click for larger version):

Our cake topper will be a chocolate version of our monogram (which I will post soon) The quilted second tier is based on this cake:

Not only is Rhonda a wonderful artist but also an amazing chef! Over Spring Break my parents and I tasted these flavors:

• French Vanilla w/ mascarpone cheese and white chocolate filling
• Grand Marnier Butter Cake w/ blackberry filling
• Fresh Strawberry w/ cream cheese filling

All 3 were the best cake I’ve ever put in my mouth In mid-July we’re having a second cake tasting (so Will can come) and we’re sampling these flavors:

• Red Velvet w/ cream cheese and toasted pecans
• Italian Cream w/ raspberry filling
• Amaretto Cake w/ peach filling

I found my bridesmaid dresses!  They are from the Priscilla of Boston Vineyard Collection.  When the lady at the shop pointed out Melissa Sweet and Vera Wang dresses I thought we’d be out of luck.  Instead we fell in love with the perfect dress at a reasonable price.

Rachael (Maid of Honor) and Roz (Bridesmaid)

The dress on the left is the one we chose.  It will be the color of the dress on the right.  Jessica Biel wore the exact dress in Beverly Mitchell’s wedding:

I actually hated long bridesmaid dresses until I saw this photo:

I thought to myself, those would look beautiful on the beach!

Finding bridesmaid dresses has actually put me into wedding planning mode (finally). I finished the guest list and I’m ordering my Save the Dates tomorrow

The Venue

We chose Rosemary Beach for our venue.  The ceremony will take place on the beach with the reception following on the Eastern Green.

Eastern Green by Susie Ellsworth and one_bea_sky

The boardwalk in the second photo leads directly to the beach where the ceremony will be held

My Vendors

• Photography: Rae and Wesley Leytham
• Flowers/Catering: Celestine’s Special Occasions
• Pastry Chef: Confections on the Coast
• Hair/Makeup: Two Fishes Artistry
• Reception Band: Replay (my dad’s band)

I uploaded some photos of my hair/makeup trial to Flickr (friends only).  I was very happy with the results but I’m requesting another trial.  My skin will be a lot darker by October so I want my makeup adjusted accordingly before the big day.  I also would like my hair styled with the veil I choose (I decided on a birdcage veil instead of a flower.)

The cake is what I’m most excited about.  A post dedicated to the cake is coming soon.

I created a Twitter for all things wedding.  I’ve also started on our website.  There’s a lot of pressure concerning the site — all my IRL friends say, “I’m sure your wedding website will be awesome!”  so the site must be perfect

My dress shipped on March 31st so it should be here any day now!

I think that’s about it.  Now I need to design my Save the Dates and find some dresses for my bridesmaids.

I bought my wedding gown last week Not only was it the first dress I tried on but also from the first store I visited! I absolutely detest shopping around for stuff so I was dreading searching for a gown.  Originally I wanted this dress but decided it was a bit much for the beach.  My gown is apparently a knock-off of a Melissa Sweet gown.  I honestly prefer my cheap (only $500) impostor gown

The gown I’m wearing is too big so I had to order another size. I have plenty of time to tone my man-arms and lose 10 pounds since it doesn’t ship until March

On the designer gown the buttons line the entire back of the dress rather than just the top portion.  I suppose I could have buttons added to mine if it were that big of a deal.  My favorite part of the gown is the ribbon over the train

Instead of a veil I’m wearing a stargazer lily à la this style:

I’m considering this dress in espresso with a pinkish-peach sash for the bridesmaids. The girls are carrying pinkish-peach gerber daisies wrapped with chocolate ribbon. My bouquet will be a mixture of stargazer lilies, tulips and gerber daisies (like the bouquet Will gave me last Valentine’s Day.)

My parents and I are meeting with the wedding coordinator on January 5th.  I decided to push the ceremony to October (tentatively, October 10th) since many venues were already booked for May.  I’m anxious to set a date so that I can proceed with other items such as save-the-dates and invitations.

I hope I didn’t bore anyone with my ramblings

Sorry it took so long to publish the details I only had 2 days of class last week but my teachers still managed to schedule 2 exams and a project. The rest of the week I was busy showing off the ring to Will’s massive family and gaining 5 pounds (literally) from Thanksgiving dinners within hours of each other Anyways…

How It Happened

I knew it was coming. Not only have Will and I been dating for 6 years but also Will made the mistake of telling me the ring was ready I didn’t know the exact day, however.

Saturday night (Nov. 22nd) Will took me to a fancy local restaurant for dinner. After eating we went back to his place.  As usual, both of us immediately picked up our computers.  A few minutes later Will told me to check my Facebook wall.  He had posted a link to ilovesidney.net — a domain he purchased for his proposal He then kneeled and presented me with my beautiful ring.  My best friend said that “he knew the key to my heart was through the computer.”  I answered “yes”, hugged and kissed him, then instructed him to hire a better webdesigner

About the Ring

William had it custom made for me based on a design I picked out a few years ago.  It’s GIA certified with a laser inscription (you can see it inside the stone under magnification!) Our jeweler Nick works solely from referrals, so if you’re looking for amazing diamonds at a great price I strongly recommend his services!

Other Details

We’re having the ceremony on the beach in Destin, Florida. I had my heart set on May 16th, but many sites are already booked so we may have to push the wedding to June or August.  I hope to meet the wedding coordinator and set a concrete date within the next 3 weeks (which means a trip to the beach soon!) I’m converting ilovesidney.net into our wedding website. I’ve already started brainstorming designs. My semester ends next Friday so I will be keeping everyone informed of the details!

P.S. — Thanks so much for all the sweet comments on Twitter and Flickr! And special thanks to Meggan, who mentioned me in a beautiful blog entry

Does anyone know where I can find this clutch?

I think it may be Dolce & Gabbana, which is way out of my price range  I found a similar bag by Nine West:

It’s not as cute as Jessica’s, but close enough.  The yellow fabric in the background is from the dress I’m wearing with the bag.  I also bought these shoes (in Dark Yellow Croc) to go with the dress and bag.  The shoes should arrive by Tuesday.

I’m currently living in my hometown while I take Physics at a local community college since I heard Physics was a bitch at Alabama  I detest my hometown.  There’s absolutely nothing to do and it’s chocked full of rednecks (okay, that’s a bit harsh.)  Also, there’s nowhere to shop.  Florence, AL is the last place in the country to recieve the latest styles.  Just the other day I went in a local boutique, which was filled with the best of last year’s fashions (at outrageous prices, I might add).  The annoying saleslady followed me around the entire time shoving ugly outfits at me left and right.  I told her I was looking for something more fitted and she had the audacity to tell me, “Well sweetie, that’s just not the style right now.” It seems to me that fitted dresses and full skirts are the craze right now, not maternity clothes (excluding maxidresses, which nowhere around here carries anyway.)

PS – Did I ever mention that a lady asked me if I were pregnant over the Christmas holidays?  My hatred for tent tops probably stems from this.

I’m always terribly grumpy on the last day of a Florida vacation. Additionally, I was pouting because William forgot to purchase a promised purple Maneki Neko for me from a local giftshop (my birthday is this weekend and Nekos are hard to find.) My BFF Rachael ousted me from my mood by introducing me to a squirrel she met while packing the car.

She said he came right up to her, so she fed him some peanuts. I wish I had a video of him burying the nuts in the nearby landscaping. He’d pat the pine needles with his tiny hands… it was adorable! I’ve never interacted with a wild animal. I felt like a Disney Princess

If you’re interested, you can see more photos from our trip on my Flickr account

Along with sending me a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers, Will wrote me a sweet message: (he usually gives me a blank card )

Sid,

Thanks for being the best girlfriend I could ever want. I am so lucky to have you… who else would watch Dune with me at 2 in the morning! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,
Bob

This will be our 5th Valentine’s Day together! My gift to him will be dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant this weekend. We couldn’t go out tonight because I have a Compilers test tomorrow

How was your day? Did you have a Valentine?