Dear 2010

Dear 2010,


When the clock strikes twelve it will be a bittersweet feeling. I am sad to see you go, but excited for what the future brings. I will always remember 2010 as one of the best years of my life...and here is why.

You showed me that patience is a virtue and that saying 'good things come to those who wait' really does have some meaning behind it. The month of January filled me with one of the most exciting times of my life. You were there on January 28th, 2010 when Tom got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. After that point the year of 2010 proved to be the year of Tom and Ali. (at least to us). We got married on October 2 and took the plunge into homeownership. Two of my very good friends married their college sweet hearts, my best friend was proposed to just days ago and I was also lucky enough to see my beloved vegas family all throughout the year. I acquired a wonderful family, whom I love already and can't wait to spend more time with. I made a career move and for once it turned out to be the right move. I discovered that I loved running and have signed up for my first 10 mile race.

2010, you were quite the ride and I can not thank you enough for the memories. I can only pray that 2011 will bring even more laughs and happiness.

I am excited to start the year fresh. Which is why I will most likely be sipping on a glass of wine watching the ball drop from my home versus going to a bar and waking up with a hangover.

Good Night 2010, Sweetdreams 2011 and I will see you tomorrow. You have some big shoes to fill.

Ali M.

The Winding Road to Homeownership

As many of our friends and family know by now, Tom and I are on our way to becoming homeowners.

I have to admit, in the begining we both thought it would be a breeze finding the home we loved, securing the funds needed and everything else that falls in to the catergories of purchasing your first house. We soon found out that it is not that easy and it takes a lot of patience and weekends to figure it all out!

Tom and I live in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S and I still get bitter chills each month when I write my rent check. We are both tired of throwing our money down the drain on a tiny one bedroom apartment, when we could put on money to good use and invest in a home.

We knew going in to the process that we would have to compromise a little on location and size. Our favorite cities, Alexandria, Arlington, DC - simply were out of the picture. Townhomes in these areas (atleast the ones we liked) would be next to impossible to afford. Gotta love living close or in your Nations Capitol!

As I mentioned before it takes a lot of patience....our first weekend we found a house we both LOVED. We soon found out that the house was in short sale and already had multiple offers. We quickly said bye bye to our 'Dream Home'. 

The next house was a cute charming townhouse in a great location....we liked it. We thought this could be home. We really started to think this could be home when the sellers realtor asked us what they could for us to put an offer in. That put a smile on our faces, we thought we had a motivated seller. But what we really had was a motivated seller who wanted to use our offer to bring in higher bids. The seller never responded to our offer. It was a very unfortunate situation but we moved on right away.

We left for our honeymoon and cleared our minds and came back rejuvinated and ready.

We stayed positive and then quickly learned that we had to attack fast! Houses were going off the market left and right. One house we walked in to view and when we walked out another realtor had put a nice 'Under Contract' sign. In a matter of 20 minutes the house was GONE!

I knew right away we needed to be the first and last to view a house if we wanted it to be ours.

The day after our honeymoon we saw another house. And this house was not just any house....it was and is THE House! 3 level townhome, updated appliances, great location, Large Master bedroom.... LOVE! Right away, we put an offer in. And since we did not want to deal with any non-sense, we asked for a response by the end of the night. (Just like they do on HGTV).

All the non-sense, all the waiting, and all our patience paid off. The seller accepted our offer within a few hours. We are still in the process of closing and doing all the Mortgage stuff and actually getting approved for our Mortgage. After it is all said and DONE, we are VERY excited to wrap up the rest of this and become homeowners!

See below for some great views of our (fingers crossed) New Home!

Where we go from here...

What a wonderful and unforgettable few weeks it has been! As many of you know by now I married my best friend and my love of five years on October 2, 2010. Since most of my blogging this past year has been geared toward the wedding, I have been juggling a few ideas around as to where to shift my creative energy and for now I am going to let it brew until I know I have a well formed idea. In the mean time, keep reading! For now, I plan to blog about life as a newly wed and all the fun adventures Tom and I have ahead. We already have a new obession: House Hunting! Many thanks to HGTV's addicting shows.

Any suggestions for the future of Always Ali? Send them my way!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pics below!!!

Here are a few pictures from the ceremony & reception...

To Have and To Hold....

          Our Photographer, Photographs By Andrea, shot some AMAZING photos in Cleveland.

Our cake was DELICIOUS! I took to one of my close friends in the Bakery business and together we picked a Lemon cake with Raspberry filling. Chef Kate is an up and coming Chef in Old Town Alexandria and has never let me down! You can see and taste more of her delicious delicates served at Brabo by Robert Wiedemaier

At the last minute, we threw in a photo booth at the reception and boy am I glad we did! Everyone had some much fun with it!!

More photos are available at Photographs By Andrea, Select Proofing Gallery, Manning Wedding. Password: Manning1

The Celebration of Me

This weekend we celebrate the life of me! Very exciting, I know. So, we shall celebrate in the Always Ali way!

I will start my weekend off bright and early Saturday morning by running in the Clarendon Day Festival 5k. Once I burn off all those calories, I will eat them all back up while I devore a little soul food from the festival.

Later on in the evening I am going to one of my hotels to enjoy a little pampering at the Lorien Hotel and Spa..

Following the spa I will enjoy my most favorite Thai meal, Spicy Pad Thai....YUMMY!

Then Tom and I will walk around the waterfront of Alexandria as we count down the days to our wedding!

What will you be doing this weekend? Enjoy your weekend everyone! I know I will : )

Wedding Favors? Are they In or Out?

Hershey Kisses, Beer koozies, throw away cameras, Jars of jam or jelly beans. While these items are very cute ideas. At the end of the reception you want your guest to leave happy knowing that you were truly thankful for taking part in your special day. 

To start off, you can ditch favors all together. Take the couple hundreds of dollars you were planning to throw towards favors and donate to a charity. This will show your wedding guests, that not only do you care about them by donating on their behalf, but you also care for others.

Here is an idea posted by another blogger: the bride and groom printed out special letters to EVERY guest in their wedding. If that doesn't say thank you, then I don't know what does!

A popular theme today is the 'Candy Bar', enjoy your guest faces (Like a kid in a candy store) as they fill their bags with sweets. One of my girlfriend did this and the Candy Bar was a hit! By the end of the night, the bar was fresh out. : )

                                            Mini bottles of liquor or wine with a personalized label.

-Box your cake! The cake sometimes doesnt make it to the table...so box your wedding cake as favors.

- Flips flops are great for an outdoor venue or a hot summer day!
-Give a favor that coincides with the state you are getting married in. i.e: Some Yummy Buckeye candies if your getting married in Ohio!
- Asian wedding ahead? Personalized chop sticks!
- Tented venue? Sometimes tents can get a little hot with no air circulation, why not have a fan to cool off your guest?

If you don't fancy any of these items, then you can always turn to having an open bar. Nothing says thank you more than letting your guest drink on your tab. : )

What did you do for your wedding favors? If you have any other ideas that you think turned out well.... post it! We love feedback here : )

Help Me Take a Wedding Break!

Weddings. Weddings. Weddings. Everywhere I turn I see something Wedding related! I am going wedding crazy!

I was watching one of my favorite movies last night, 'Working Girl', Classic Melanie Griffith. I settle in thinking this is what I will do for the rest of the night. But wait, of course there she is crashing a Wedding Reception.

I get online, log on to facebook and spend way too much time browsing through friends Wedding blogs. Stumble on to a random person's wedding photos. Another hour has passed me by.

Get up, change the channel, stuck watching a Food Network channel where they are making a Wedding Cake. Change the channel again...great, Say Yes to the Dress is on. I must watch. I am addicted.

Get up, walk into my kitchen where I pass all my Wedding stationary, Bridesmaid gifts, etc - I sit down and start playing around. Another hour has passed me by.

I get up, I go to bed and I can't sleep because all I can think about is my Wedding. AHHHHHHHHH

As much as I enjoy planning my wedding. I need a break and I need your advice. All you former brides out there...what did you do to take your mind off your Wedding? I have been running, which helps clear my head, but I need to find something else to do with my time to bring me back to reality!!

To all of my readers...What would you like me to do this weekend? Email, Comment, Message with ideas!

A Stress Free Wedding

As I type a Stress Free Wedding in the subject line of this blog, I am almost inclined to questions myself and say...is that possible?

The answer is yes.

Wedding planning is not an easy task, but if you follow some of my advice - I think that you will find that wedding planning can be a lot more fun than you think!

1) Dump the control freak.
Because it is your wedding and you want everything to go your way you can easily be warped in to that Bridezilla that everyone fears. Please don't do that. Just dump that inner-control freak inside of you and ask for help. It will relieve so much stress, even if it is just the little stuff. I have some amazing bridesmaids who have been so helpful. For example, I put one of my maids in charge of figuring out salons for the day of the wedding. She set everything up for everyone!

2) Start your planning early
My family and friends make fun of me for getting so much done so early. But, that's okay. My time management gave me that much more time to spend enjoying my engagement. In addition, if there was anything I wanted to double back to, to change....well I was able to do it flawlessly.

3) Get Healthy
If there is one thing that probably all brides will admit to, it is that we want to look our absolute best on our wedding day. Being unhealthy is a HUGE stressor for weddings. Start your wedding diet now. As the days pass by and the planning continues you will find that you are starting to look better, feel better and find yourself in a more positive state of mind.

4) Forget Perfection 
It’s easy to get carried away with hopes and expectations riding so high. But remember, your wedding is ‘just one day’ out of your entire life. And that the aspiration of ‘perfect’ doesn’t exist. Just try and relax and keep in mind that your wedding is a celebration of your commitment to one another, nothing more, and nothing less. Just realize things can and will go wrong, which is normal.

5) Hire a Wedding Planner
If both you and your future husband-to-be or Bride-to-be have very busy lives....hire a planner! Wedding planners know everything there is to know about this kind of stuff - so let them be the decision makers, let the weight ride on their shoulders. If you think your life is to hectic to plan the wedding of your dreams, then let someone else do it!  

6) Don't Worry, Be happy!
Be happy. If you feel like things are starting to fall apart, just think back to the day you were proposed to. That is what I do. All of a sudden that feeling of happiness rushes over me and I realize all over again how lucky and fortunate I am for everything. 

Thanks for reading and if you need any advice...feel free to reach out to me by clicking the 'Contact' tab above! 

Six weeks left until my big day and I am a stress-free bride!

Tip Top Shape and Wedding Updates!

Sorry I have been MIA this past month. I have been quite the busy bee this summer with planning my wedding, mini vacations, going to one of my best friends wedding and up next is my bachlerotte party!

Every girl wants to look her very best on her wedding day and I am no exception. We want to make sure our dress fits to a tee. We don't want any mysterious body part hanging out (you know what I am talking about)

I know, I know, you all are probably thinking 'Ali you don't need to lose weight you already skinny.' It's really not about losing weight - it's about looking good and feeling good. And when else do you look and feel good, but after a few weeks of some really great work outs. Everything is firm and tight and things just seem to fit better. Am I right or am I wrong? I'm right.

I am not working out 24/7, I'm just running. For the past 2-3 months now I have been running a trail close to home and I recently hit my goal of a 5k. This past week it has become my normal jog and I love it! On this track I can definitely see this becoming a life style not just a work out. In addition to the cardio, I am also taking a lot of tips from one of my co-workers. She was born to a be nutritionist. I pay attention to everything she eats. Lots of fruit, veggies, avocados, almond butter, protein, lots of water. If I am lucky she will offer me some of her goodies she brings to work like today for instance she made flax seed kiwi muffins - now, it may not sound that appealing, but it was actually REALLY, REALLY good!! Love her and her muffins!

Your diet relies on about 70% of what you eat and if you know me, you know I have a HUGE sweet tooth. So my big downfall in this category is sugar! I love it. And I won't change that part of me, because that's what makes me, me! I am sweet to the bone. : )

On another note, invitations are out and RSVP's are slowly starting to filter in. It's an exciting time! This weekend I meet with our ceremony musicians to pick out our beautiful music for the church. I don't think many people pay attention to the church music - but either way, I am still going to pick the songs that I love!

Thanks for reading and I hope to post again real soon!!

The Vitalized Couple

Taking the time to reflect on your relationship is an important part of growing as a couple. While most newly engaged couples hope they have touched on all the important topics that come before the 'I Do', often, time passes you by and you never get the chance to talk about certain factors that might play an important part in your life down the road.

Recently, my Fiance and I met with our priest. Tom and I will be having a Catholic Ceremony and with that comes certain responsibilities such as; Meetings with our priest, a compatibility test, Pre Cana day, all sorts of fun. Don't get me wrong, we are both excited for the spiritual side of coming together as man and wife. Prior to meeting with our Father, we had to take a Compatibility Test. We took the quiz at different times and afterward we went out to dinner to discuss the questions and how we answered them.

This was such a wonderful opportunity to go over topics that may have been touched on in the past, but never quite received the clarification you were looking for or maybe things you didn't know about each other. Though Tom and I are nearing our five year anniversary there are always new things we learn about each other.

I wanted to bring this topic to the forefront because I feel that sometimes the Wedding Planning can take a toll on the actual relationship. I think most Brides or even the Groom would agree that with all the details that goes in to planning the big day you can get caught up in all the hype and stress of the details of the wedding that you forget to focus on what is really important and that is the two of you and your future together.

Here are a few examples or Talking points:
  Scale of 1-10 (10 being the most)
1. Ability to express one's feeling and ask for what one wants.
2. Do you feel your partner dominates the relationships?
3. What are the common stressors in your life? i.e; Financial concerns, your career, your family, your health, etc.
4. How many children do you want in the future?
5. What religion will your children be raised in?
6. Are you romantically satisfied in your relationship?
7. Are you flexible to change or inflexible?
8. Do you feel connected to your partner?
9. Would you consider yourself a social person?
10. On the scale what is your confidence level?

Now, these are just a FEW questions reworded from the quiz, there were A LOT more and intimate and very personal questions that were asked and I am very happy we both had this opportunity. Turns out we are very compatible! (Whewww)

What are your thoughts? For those already married or those soon to be wed, do you feel you that you were/or are prepared for what's ahead?

The Bridal March: To Lauren

The wedding season is far from over for me and my girlfriends. This morning I received an email from one of my musicians that will be playing during our ceremony and it got me so excited! Not just for my wedding (It's not always about me), but for one of my dear friends, Lauren or as I like to call her, Lolo. She will be saying, 'I do', on July 17th, 2010.

I believe I have told this story before in another blog, but my college roommates and I all met our husbands, or future husbands while attending college at Ohio University. Leslie met John her Freshman year, Lauren met Mike her Sophomore year and I met Tom my senior year. It's funny because that is the same order we are getting married in. Talk about three lucky couples.

                                                             Left to Right: Me, LoLo, Leslie

Today's blog will be a dedication to Lauren and Mike:

I have to admit, I never saw it coming. Mike lived just a few dorm rooms down from us and he didn't really start coming around 216 (That was our room number) until Lauren was away in Ecuador studying abroad. The sparks between Mike and Lauren didn't really catch until our Junior year. Lucky for us, Mike moved right next door and soon enough we all formed a happy bond. One of my favorite memories of the two love birds was when we were all awoken by the sound of 'A** and Titties' blaring in the wee hours of the morning on Laurens 21st birthday. OR catching Lauren peeping out of the window making sure Mike was behaving like a gentleman. OR the time Mike got Lolo some purple Laffy Taffy for valentines day (Which she hates by the way). There are just too many funny memories/inside jokes of the two.

But my favorite memory and one I will never forget, albeit I may not have been there, is when Lauren called me to tell me that Mike proposed. If you have never met these two, that is unfortunate, because they are unlike any other couple I have met. They are unique in so many ways, but there differences compliment each other inside and out. Mike is an outdoors adventurist and Lolo is full of class and charisma, with a touch of goofiness :) . They both have a sense of humor that is contagious. I am so happy that these two wonderful people will be man and wife, they will without a doubt have a beautiful life together.

                                                                      July 17th, 2010

   I am honored to be apart of such an important and memorable occasion! See you on the dance floor!

Etsy

Oh Etsy. How I love you.

For all you future brides out there, or heck, for all you ladies (and gentleman, don't want to leave any out) who appreciate hand made items. You really have to check out Etsy. I suppose I really owe a big thank you to Liz, from A Batty Life. After following her blog and getting great advice from her wedding plans her blog introduced me to Etsy and I have to say I have yet to be let down.

I took to Etsy for my bridesmaid gifts and now I am in search of shoes for my big day. You see, I am having a hard time finding shoes. I have one pair of stubborn feet. Plus, I am limited in the height of heel I can wear and my alterations lady was very firm to say in her cute little chinese accent 'you wear flats or you wear 1 inch, you too tall for high heels.' So, of course I took to Etsy (again) in hopes to find the perfect pair!

While on the hunt for the perfect pair of shoes I stumbled across a Oxford Girl from Etsy who custom designs shoes at VERY reasonable prices. Prices range from $40-$60 dollars and I have to say, that is quite cheap - and AWESOME! I filled out a form that I considered my dream wedding shoe. Flats with a vintage feel lace and flower incorporated. We will see how they turn out! I am very excited to see the end result!

Wedding Hairstyles

Of all the decisions I have had to make for the wedding I would say I had it pretty easy. Honeymoon...that was a breeze. Picking my dress, yep that was easy once I knew I found THE dress. Choosing my bridal party was simple since my girls are all rockstars.

I know what I want and what I am looking for. How to do my hair on my wedding day however is a different story. I have no idea what to do with this mop on my head. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to wear my hair up, half up, down, to the side...I am really on the fence here and need help from my readers!

I have included some photos and I will number then for you. Tell me which number you think will look best on me! Just a side note, my wedding is going to have a vintage glam feel to it (atleast I hope it does!) - so keep that in mind when picking your favorite!

                                

                       

                    1. Pulled to side, I would add some tighter curls cascading down.

2.  All up with tight curls

3. Vintage hair-do

4. Loose curls pulled back

5. Low and Tight Chignon

Decisions, decisions! I need your help on this one! Which number do you like the best? Don't be afraid to post your thoughts!!

Honeymoon in St. Lucia

It is surprising how time catches up with you. Though I still have 3 months until my big day, I can't help but think of how much time has already passed! Over the weekend we made some exciting progress for our wedding plans. We officially booked our honeymoon in the Caribbeans!

Not only is your honeymoon a chance to spend some quality alone time with your new spouse, it is also a great reward after months of wedding planning stress!

We will be absorbing all that life has to offer at an all inclusive Sandal's resort. I really think this was the best option for us. We considered traveling to Paris or Rome, ya know the cities of love, but when it came down to the nitty gritty, we both wanted to be able to relax and enjoy our time together as husband and wife. With that said, we picked the ever so romantic Sandals Regency in St. Lucia. Here are just a small glimpse of what we get to look forward to!

 

Here are some helpful tips for planning a honeymoon:

* Weather: You don't want it to rain on your wedding day and you especially do not want it to rain throughout your honeymoon. Research the weather for your destination! We decided to wait one month after our wedding so that the chances of hurricane season would be less slim. Just before you go, be sure to check the forecast at a weather website such as weather.com to help you pack. 

*Cost: Of course you want to go to a place that is breathtaking, but make sure you pick a place that fits your budget. You should be able to enjoy almost everything your honeymoon spot has to offer!

*Passport: Don't forget to apply for a passport if you don't have one already! Luckily my man is all set. I on the other hand am going through the passport debacle. Hopefully it comes in on time!

*Consider both sides: Boys and Girls like different things. While you are planning your honeymoon make sure to pick a place that you will both enjoy. Remember, this is all about the both of you!

What did you do for your honeymoon? With all the planning that goes in to a wedding I really want our honeymoon to be stress free. We both said we just want to feel pampered and catered to.... Take away the stress of the cost of the meal, or that expensive glass/es of wine coming your way. 

I love traveling to places that have plenty of options and what is great about this resort is that there are two other Sandal resorts nearby and when you stay at one you can play at all 3! Something tells me that we will have plenty to do at the Regency. A few fun things we plan to take full advantage of: Snorkeling, scuba diving, mountain biking, shopping, dining at some of their great restaurants and getting pampered at the spa. I honestly do not know if a week will be enough time for all that awaits!

Groomsmen Gifts

Today's blog will be for the boys! Tom and I sat down and started to brain storm on different gift ideas for his groomsmen. Of course there were the obvious gifts mentioned; flasks, cuff links, beer mugs. Now don't get me wrong, these are great gifts, but I know my fiance wants to do something out of the norm. After doing some research here are a few things we stumbled upon that were well, pretty awesome!

How awesome would it be to get a caricature drawn of all your guys from their bachelor party weekend? I know Tom's picture of his boys would be down right hilarious considering all the stories I have heard of Tom's Bachelor Party.

Or how about getting your guys polo shirts with their college logo embroidered, customized cozies, or a nice bottle of Scotch with a personalized label? Or how about an embroidered soft sided cooler for the out doors sports enthusiast! It appears the theme here is keeping it personal. I like it. We are trying to stay clear of getting our close friends and family something they have already received or better yet, something boring! While we are honored to have them in the wedding, we also want to show them just how thankful we truly are!

What are some other fun ideas you have seen in the past? I especially would love to hear some feedback!! Us blogger's LOVE comments! : )