the pictures have arrived!

I have so much to share yet so little time. How is that, you ask? Because we're having too much fun over here, squeezing in as much as we can before we head out.

I wanted to share the long-awaited glamour shots though, at least, as it's been something I've been trying to get my hands on forever it seems - yesterday we *finally* were able to pick them up!

Quick recap. October 16 (1.5 years after we got married, to the date) we - our family of three, Cecilia's (sister-in-law) family of three, and the parent-in-laws - headed to Taipei to get all dolled up and (photo) shot.

A couple weeks later Judge, Cecilia and I went in to select 20 photos to make into a big A3 sized book to celebrate their parent's having been married 30 years (they do this shoot every 10 years). We ended up selecting 23 - 13 of just their parents, 5 full and semi-full family shots, and the rest variations of 'us kids'. (I'm not going to be sharing all the shots, as I feel many are not mine to share).

First - my favorite full-family shot:

[I love the balance and set-up of this one]

Next, the other two full-family shots (if you want a bigger look just click on them):

[Yes, Judge got put on a step - arg. Also note the set-ups imo are not as stellar]

Then us with the 'rents:

[Ah how I love Leona and Owen's expressions in all of these :P]

Then the three of just us - we ordered just the 2nd for the thank-you cards and the 3rd for the big-honkin-huge one outside the banquet entrance, but Judge's mom called up after and said she wanted a stack of each of the three for thank-you cards (they're placed out for guests to take at the banquet):

[I absolutely love how Leona's 'never stop moving' personality shines through,

and also love the natural heights of us all, as this is really who we are]

[Like our big smiles on this one...and that they had gone from the 'two phone-books' tall step to a little bit of a lower one...it wasn't until after that I realized we could have taken more control of the shoot, but at the time we were 'a tad' bit uncomfortable and kind of just wanting to get it done with]

[I like how you can kind of see a hint of exasperation in my face - well, I can see a hint at least, not sure about you - and yes, this is the two-stacked-phone-book-height~~]

I cannot not share these next three:

[Super cute! Photographer tried to get us to do it too, but we said 'nah, that's ok' :P...but it totally works on them]

[My nephew Owen - also too cute!]

Now, as it was the three of us selecting the photos to be included, that meant we had absolute freedom. Of course we wanted the pictures to be the best they could be as it's an important memento for his parents, but we couldn't not include this one:

[The look on Judge's dad's face just cracks us up every.single.time!!]

And yes, we are all so free of arm-flab, our skins are all so pearly white, and none of us have wrinkles!


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and done

Make-up banquet status: Survived!

Will be getting more photos, but for now, here's one of me, A-Po (Judge's grandma on his mother's side) and Judge:

[Sunglasses due to recent eye surgery]

It lasted a total of 5 hours from arrival to leaving. The telling of the story (with more pictures) will be left for another day.

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taster

Just got a photo of the dress I will be wearing on Saturday (not the same dress as worn on glamour-shot-day):

So perhaps it is not as yellow as I remembered it...or perhaps the color isn't exact on here. It's also slimmer than I remembered it - but that may have more to do with the mannequin-vs-me than the dress itself ;)

On Thursday we will be going up for a final fitting (where I've decided to ask if the 'butterfly-cape-thing' in the back can be removed), and also picking up the loot from our shoot.


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recent dresses

Due to the glamour shots and make-up banquet, I've made some dresses for our little Leona - as I love crafting, hate shopping, and would never be able to spend as much on a dress for her as is required.

Originally I was just going to do one dress for both events.

I first did a trial-dress of the style I was wanting to do.

Then as luck had it Judge's grandma had a stash of fabric from her sewing days that she let me raid, and there was a great one for her 'real' dress. But since it is holy (hole-y) and not comfortable I had to do a lining, successfully voiding the 'trial' in trial-dress (so yes, there was some major seam-rippage that had to be done).

I decided to make two versions, one with a white lining for the photo shoot as us ladies had to wear white wedding gowns, and one with a black lining for the banquet. I made the black-lining one first:

[The holy fabric is pink]

... and then didn't end up making the white-lining one in time - perhaps because I was thinking three dresses in the same style is kind of boring.

So I found another what-looked-easy tutorial, and then stumbled upon another fabric shop where I scored a great long piece of yellow fabric for just NT100 (!). But it would be a bit much to have the entire dress like that, so I took some ideas from this dress. Then as I was making my pattern I decided to just use the reverse of the fabric for the bands, made necessary pattern adjustments, and then of course necessary procedure adjustments, and now have a cute little yellow summery dress...that is too big in the chest (I did the fitting when she was sleeping, so it obviously wasn't very effective).

[Front]

[Back]

Due to the style though, making it fit too much better will make it difficult to put on and take off, so I'm just going to make a 'ribbon' from the reverse of the fabric to tie around her chest where the band already is.

Now I gotta make booties I think, to go with it - and of course to keep her feet warm, and diaper covers with a ruffled bum, and a drool catcher, and we'll be good to go!

Yay for Leona sleeping in the evenings and no WIP editing cases!


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anticipation

Right. So I had promised that the 'next' post would be the glamour shots.

Unfortunately you'll all have to wait with bated breath for about two more weeks.

We went and picked the photos this last Monday (Judge, his sister and I) - about 12 or so of just his parents (since it is their 30th wedding-anniversary shoot/our wedding glamour shoot, and we put the emphasis on them), 3 full family shots (which included two grandparents, six parents, and six kids - 8 people total...is my math confusing you?), then us and Judge's parents, sister-in-law guys and Judge's parents each one shot, I think one shot of just the three of the sister-in-law guys and one shot of just my nephew, one shot of us three (Leona was already past her acceptance point by the time we were taking the Owen family photos, but we were able to get one at least - her personality totally shines through :P), and then three of just Judge and me - one that will be made poster size for the make-up-banquet entrance that we get to take home after and hang...somewhere, and one that will be made into little cards for people to take at the banquet, and one more just because we looked so darned good.

Was pretty funny to see most of our pictures - it was written clear in our faces for a vast majority, as we had this-is-embarrassingly-stooopid-and-we-are-so-uncomfortable eyes and smiles.

For part of the shoot they had put Judge up on this high block so that he'd be 'acceptably taller' than me - and we just felt weird in all of those because it was so unnatural. Then luckily we got some in another setting before they brought in another block - but this time it was only half the height of the first, so it felt a bit better.

(Yes, I realize we could have just said no to the block, but we were perhaps too out of our element to be thinking straight.)

Now I am working on another dress for Leona for her to wear at the banquet - it is yellow and will hopefully go with my dress (hers is a deeper yellow than mine...if I'm remembering correctly).


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the deed is done

Today was the day of glamour...or, could've-been-glamour at least.

I could have really just gone all out, a once in a life-time chance to do something as far from me as I could go, with fancy froofy dress, crazy hair, etc., but instead I went as low key as I could get.

I think (read: know) one of the (many) reasons I don't like to wear make-up or get all dolled up is because I kind of feel like 'what if it doesn't work'...as in what if it doesn't look good. 

And today was a perfect example of it not quite working. Though I guess tomorrow we will know for sure, as we will be selecting the 20 photos in the package his parents bought, so today it is just going on photo-shoot-feeling.

The dress was as mentioned as simple as they can get - strap-less white wedding gown with no pattern, no frills, no gimmicks. Added to it was a (fake) pearl necklace, (fake) pearl (clip-on) earrings (thank goodness we did this today, as I had totally not thought it through - I have a pair of awesomely beautiful pearl earrings I got as a new-momma-gift from Vesta! Will be wearing them for the make-up banquet lunch). And then hair and make-up. 

Here is where the ugh comes in. The make-up was put on about an inch thick - as is standard fare here. The hair-do I had pointed to was a swept back-and-up style, would make me look hip and young (I'm sure :P), but instead she did the top swept back and the sides swept down-and-back...making me look 10 years my senior. By the time I noticed why it wasn't looking right, it was already 11:35, and I thought to myself "Oh well".

First we did several full-family photos (my parent-in-laws, us three, and my sister-in-law-with-husband-and-son). All I can say was for me (and Judge) at least, is it felt in one word: Awkward.

Then various combinations of all of us, then just the Owens (Leona was done for the day a while before that, so I don't think we got any of her really smiling), then just Mr. and Mrs. Owen. Also in one word: Awkward.

Totally not our style and not in our element. Photographer: look at each other, smile, look at the camera, smile, look off into the distance, smile, lean forward, twist this way and that, do this, do that, smile, smile, smile. Do various so-and-so's... Us: Nah, that's ok. 

After about 5 or 10 min he said 'ok' (I think as in this scene is done) and we're "Done?" Photographer [surprised]: You don't want to do some more shots? Us [in chorus]: No, thanks. Not exactly the type of wedding-glamour-shoot they're used to ;P

And that is how we spent Judge's first day as a stay-at-home dad.

That's right! You read correctly!! He is now done-done-done. It's like he was tripsing away on air on our first-ever late-afternoon walk. As happy as a clam at Christmas.

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picking of the gowns

So yesterday was a success! The airing of my stink really helped evaporate it, I have to say (at least for yesterday's leg of the road).

However, as I detest shopping in general (well, clothes shopping...I love window-shopping for household stuffs, especially kitchen), it wasn't what I would call enjoyable, but my goal wasn't to go that far ;)

Arriving at the glamour shot place had me in high hopes, because they seemed super service oriented and good at what they do. Unfortunately the helper we got was not good at her job (it reminded me of this show I used to watch on Travel and Living...one of those stupid shows that you watch anyway - I know you do it too!...wedding dress shopping from the perspective of the wedding dress store, in NY or somewhere like that).

She totally couldn't get my style, kept pulling these just utterly terrible dresses. Mind you, most of the dresses in the place were utterly terrible in terms of my likes, as they tend to be totally over the top.

For the white wedding gown it didn't take us toooo long to land on an acceptable one (and acceptable was the aim - if this was a photo shoot and dinner that held a lot of meaning for me and Judge we'd want perfect, but as it stands 'not terrible' is a-ok with us). It has to be the simplest one they got, I swear. (Yes, pictures to come once they're taken...Oct. 16, picture selection on the 17th).

Then for the dinner gown, it really was a battle to find one. After trying on bus-loads of dresses there was finally one that I kind of liked from the front in terms of style (and it kind of hides what's left of my postpartum belly), but it was a yellow-golden color - very close to the color the banquet tablecloths often are. Asked our helper to pull more like this one, and she came back with ones that were totally different. Me and Cecilia (my sister-in-law who came to help us out as she's used these guys before and she knows more what's up and what is required for us compared to me and Judge) just looked at each other and started laughing silently (once the helper had turned away).

After trying on many more, each one more terrible than the next it seemed, I tried on the yellow one again. Cecilia cast her vote for this dress, Judge said it was ok - better than the others, and I cast my vote for it too. Never imagined I'd be wearing a gown of this color, and I totally don't like the back - but I don't have to see my back! Wahahaha. So again, I deemed it acceptable. All we have to do is not select this color tablecloth at the banquet place.

And I was right in Judge's parents taking advantage of our not wanting to take pictures, as it is their 30th wedding anniversary this year, and their family tradition is to take family glamour shots on the decades. So it's kind of perfect. In all we (they) will be choosing 20 photos that will be made into a glamour-shot photo-book and perhaps some blow-up ones to update the huge-ass ones they have hanging around the house from 10 years ago. So the majority of the pics will be various mix-and-matching of the family units (his parents, us three, and Cecilia three), with some shots for us to choose one from to hang at the banquet entrance.

And since we all will just be wearing one outfit (equals one make-up and one hairdo) and won't be running around town and to the beach to shoot, it can hopefully just take half a day. Wooop.

Here are three pictures of Leona and her cousin Owen (before I was shut down as it's not allowed to take photos in there):

[Her determination was a bit much for Owen]

[Trying to taste her cousin XD]

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Living at the in-laws'

So, 2.5 weeks ago we moved into Judge's parents' place. The night before we did the final move, I was finally able to achieve something that has been hanging over me for more than a year - move past the past. It was something I had wanted to do for as long, tried to do for as long, and continued to fail at miserably. I had made the choice many times to succeed, but not been committed to it - not truly wanted to perhaps.

Choosing to agree to move 'back' as is required culturally made it all blow up in my emotions, forced me to face it and finally deal with it in order to not sink our marriage. Originally I was planning on faking it - but I am very much someone who cannot - or is perhaps unwilling - to hide my emotions. And so instead, I made the choice again. But fully went for it - and that night, like flicking a light switch, I was past. It is an amazing feeling. I have to work on keeping the light switch flicked though, as it is not coming naturally yet, but I am totally successful so far!

Right now, however, we have the house to ourselves, as Judge's mom headed over to China to hang with his dad for a month. It's nice to have our 'own' place again, so soon ;) And every day I walk over to grandma's house and eat a proper dinner, and Leona gets to be held by her great-grand-uncle, great-grand-mother, grand-auntie and uncle, and sometimes her auntie (cousin-auntie) when she's home from university.

Speaking of her great-grand-uncle. For ever it's been like clockwork at dinner time over there - he arrives, eats, has a smoke outside and leaves. Now that Leona's around though, once he's done eating he will hold her as long as he can, meaning he's not leaving right away (!) [obviously]. He even came over to our place to drop of spring-water one time, and held her for a bit. I thought he'd just hold her maybe a couple of minutes and then go, but to my surprise he stayed around 15-20 min or so. Best thing about it is I've finally learned to relax when they hold her and interact with her, now that she is a bit bigger and a bit more stable.

It's not all happy-shiny though, as there are some hiccups barreling towards us. I am struggling with flicking that switch on these items, making me feel ok about them, so that I do not have a perpetual stink-face when I have to deal with them: the things related to the make-up wedding banquet that we have to attend on Nov 5th...as it is for us.

I decided as soon as I found out we had to have it that I am not inviting anyone to it, as it is not even close to the kind of celebration we would want for us. I am quite the unfan of the wedding banquets here - of course if it's your cup of tea then they're perfect for you and there's no judgement of any kind, but it is very much not me.

I know it is important for his family though, as it is proclaiming to the world that they have accepted me as their daughter (in-law). But truthfully, if there was no make-up dinner I'd be totally (*totally*) fine with that.

We are going to keep it as simple as we possibly can - as it is 'just' a make-up dinner it looks like we can get away with not doing a lot of stuff. We aim to just have the entering and introducing of us and his parents, and the walk around to each table toasting (these two are definite musts). No slide-shows, no bouquet 'toss' (it's done a bit different here), no speeches (? perhaps in the introducing of us his parents will say something??), no cake-cutting, no dance, no nothing. Hopefully.

One other thing we cannot get out of doing are the glamour shots. Ugh. So tomorrow we are going up to Taipei to choose the gowns we will rent (two for me - one for the shoot and one for the dinner...thankfully my sister-in-law spoke on my behalf and got it to be just one for the dinner...usually it is three).

The glamour shoot will be a family shoot though, since Judge and I totally didn't want to do it - it is very (very) much not us as well. But as there's a minimum number of shots in a package his parents are taking the opportunity to update their family glamour shots I guess. And then a couple pictures of just us two I think, as big poster-sized ones need to be hung at the banquet.

The thing is, I am very bad at being requested to do stuff. I tend to want to not do it, no matter what it is, if it is requested of me...even if technically it is something I would want to do (the shots and dinner do not fall under this umbrella though). Silly, I know. Juvenile, perhaps. Anyhow, with the glamour shoot, I know I should just have fun with it, as it is something we have to do. But because we have to do it, I just can't get the stink out of me. I really should just flick that switch on these things too though. It'd make my own life oh-so much easier, as well as those who have to deal with my stink-facedness.

Perhaps every time I feel a stink coming on I should just think of this face:

How could it not brighten up my soul? I am seriously in love with this shot - and the little lady in it of course ;)


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and then they were wed

Rings and Ring-Engagement
Tuesday the 13th I called the ring-maker to ask about when we could expect the rings (they had originally told us 14 days...that was 17 days ago). Basically asked them if they could guarantee they come before Friday - as Friday we kind of needed them.

Thursday the 15th the security guard at the front desk buzzed up and said a package had arrived. Yes, thankfully, twas the rings. I guess it was the universe's way of making things work out perfectly, as I only had to sit on my couch and look at that package for one afternoon - Judge got off one day early and was home that evening by a bit past 7pm.

==> O'Lime standing guard

After a hot-pot dinner it was finally time: The ring-boxes were unwrapped, the awesome note from the Ring Maker was read, and the unmarked ring-boxes were opened one at a time. First, my wedding band, then his wedding band - we both try them on for size. Then the engagement ring - we look at each other and know that this is it - we're finally ring-engaged!

But, even with the ring on my finger I didn't actually feel much different, and I realized it was because we have been engaged for a long time already. The only difference now was that I had a beautiful, awesome, totally-us ring on my left ring-finger. A difference that had me smiling and looking at my hand a *lot* XD

Day of Getting Wed - Creating our own Traditions
The local temples and gods are a very special part of Taiwan, an integrated part of every-day life, and something Judge and I both feel very connected to. Thus, after brunch the next morning  (sweet-n-hot dumpling/noodle soup) we bought some fruit and crackers to take to our neighborhood god as our first step in getting married.

We put the goodies on the table along with the ghost-money we were going to burn, lit and offered incense, waited a while to let them (neighborhood god and his wife) partake of the offering, burned the ghost money, and took the offering home to enjoy.

[I only had my low-tech camera-phone with me~~ but you see our incense...and other ppls, our offering on the table corner, and far in the back behind the bars is Mr. and Mrs. Neighborhood God]

I then we had to part ways - me off to work, Judge off to prepare the materials we'd need that evening.

5.5 hours later we headed over to an awesome pizza place (not my blog~) where the pizza master tosses the pizza in view of the guests (but inconspicuously off to the side...you can watch if you want but it is not a focus), it's a thin crust slab-oven roasted bit of deliciousness.

And then it was home we went. We had decided that since we were doing this as our own personal ceremony, we were going to have the Heaven God be our witness through the use of a lantern, which we wanted to make ourselves.

We had planned it for 3 hours, between 7 and 10pm, and had asked all our closest family and friends to join us in spirit as they woke up, or went about their morning/day/evening; to just take a few moments to focus their love and positiveness towards us during this three hour period (or before or after for those who had too awkward a time-difference).

After a slight hiccup of not enough paper, and after looking up online what exactly we had to do, it was off to lantern-making we went.

The three hours we had estimated were to include driving to the place we wanted to let it up and home again after, as Judge has a 10-11pm curfew (has to call in by 11pm, and stay indoors after that). Things usually don't go as planned, however - especially not when we're the planners - and when I had a surprise up my sleeve.

Once we were at the point we could write our love, affirmations, promises, and well-wishes on the lantern, I took out The Surprise: all well-wishes I had our closest family and friends send to me that I had printed and cut, so we could read them together as part of our wedding. As expected, Judge had to finish off reading some of them because I got too choked up XD

[Do you see the love?!]

Once they were taped on, our words written, and the lantern's final steps completed, it was already 10:30. We thus faced two options - one to let it on the roof of our building (and have it come down on someone's balcony or car~~) or send it up the next day.

[Ended up being honkin-tonkin huge, to fit all our love...or to not go up in flames when we burn the ghost money underneath]

We chose option two, took out our sparkling juice and two glasses (with "coca cola" stenciled on them...only glasses we own XD), and headed up to the rooftop to exchange vows and rings, with nothing specific planned. We invited all our loved ones again to join us in spirit, as well our ancestors, the heavens and earth to give us their blessings, exchanged sweet words, he repeated slowly after me "we will all" "very" "abide by the will" "of God" (though we do not technically have his parents blessing yet nor did we have bone-and-flesh witnesses, we still wanted to have our wedding in our own fashion), asked each other if the other was ready to be our wife/husband, and exchanged the rings.

And thus, simply, wonderfully, comfortably, and oh-so usly, we are wed.

[I wear my wedding band on my right hand as I am feeling a closer connection to my Norwegian roots these past years, and as luck has it it is also the Chinese way (Chinese way is woman-right man-left)].

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