Sushi, anyone?

While visiting friends in McKinney, Texas over Christmas, Jason and I learned how to make sushi! It was so much fun and REALLY yummy! We made all of my favorite rolls and even wasabi soup. Jason and I couldn't wait to get back to Houston and try it ourselves.

Our sushi chef-teacher, Cory

Jason, looking so handsome while he makes sushi rolls!

I was so excited to have successfully made my first roll...can you tell?

We decided to give it a try on New Years Eve. We went to World Market to buy some cute sushi plates and tools, then we headed to HEB for all of the food and then headed back home for all of the work. Jason definitely took the lead on this one and handled most of the prep work, but it was a great joint effort because I took on the task of cleaning the kitchen afterwards!

Working away...

Concentrating so hard...

Almost done...

And the final product...so good!

Sprinkles!

I just discovered that Houston is getting a Sprinkles Cupcake location in April 2009! It will be in Highland Village!!! You already know how excited I was when Houston got a Crave Cupcakes, but Sprinkles is the mecca of cupcakes!!!

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of enjoying a Sprinkles cupcake, you are in for a treat. Their original location in Beverly Hills garnered a lot of celeb hype which put them on the map...anyone a fan of Bridget from "The Girls Next Door?" I was lucky enough to try them last year during a Dallas trip.

They have yummy classic flavors like milk chocolate and vanilla, but my faves are strawberry and red velvet. They also make more original flavors like pumpkin, banana, chocolate peppermint, orange, carrot and mocha. You are also order the cupcakes to have different shaped toppings like the Christmas logos above.

Head over to my wedding blog to get some ideas on how to incorporate Sprinkles into a wedding!

I can't wait until April 2009!~

The Houston Snow Storm

Well, maybe it wasn't a snowstorm, but it actually snowed yesterday!

[We got just a little excited at work yesterday]

[Then, when I walked out of class last night, Gavin was covered!]


[Jason and I took a walk in it last night...it was our first snow together]

[And Tucker was miserable...poor little guy was a trooper with his sweater]

Crisis Averted!

We are a go for May 23, 2009!!! We even booked our location today!!! Our friends have decided to move their wedding so we don't have any more conflicts. I am so excited!!!

Need to vent!

Has anyone had difficulties when trying to set a wedding date? If you have, or know of anyone who has in the past, please share your stories! I could sure use it. This post is simply a vent...

J and I were originally planning on getting married in August because it did not seem too rushed and was one of the only months that I could actually have a wedding and a honeymoon with my school schedule. Literally, my only 3 options are May 09, August 09 or 2010!

The only Saturday in August that this would work was August 15. If I do it earlier, I am in finals, if I do it later, I am back in school! We were not completely sold on August because it is THE HOTTEST month of the entire year in Houston. I am talking average 96 degrees and very humid, plus Jason and I really want to get married outside. We were still going to move forward, until we realized that my brother will be graduating college that day! I am so proud of him and he has worked so hard, so there is no way I wanted to pass over his big day.

So, we looked at May. I looked up everyone's possible graduation days in our family and May 23 was clear! Any weekend earlier, I am in spring finals or it is Jason's sister's college graduation. Any week later and I am back in school.

I called our venue of choice with my one date in mind in May thinking it is WAY too late to get it because this is a popular place, but it was open!!!!!!!

Jason and I were so stoked. May 23 is perfect in so many ways:
- J and I met on February 23 and the first movie we saw together was "23" so needless to say, that number is special to us
- May won't be as hot outside
- Our venue is available!
- Won't be hurricane season so no potential of a ruined honeymoon
- It is sooner than the August plan...I can be Jason's wife sooner!

But then (enter dark clouds) while I was sitting in class this evening, Jason chatted me online and said that his best friend and his fiance, just announced that their wedding just got scheduled for May 23. WHAT??? We just saw them at dinner 2 days ago and they told us their wedding would be in June. Trust me-I would have checked with them had they said May. They told us that they won't change their date because it was the only day in May that their church was available.

So, I immediately called my mother, and her reaction was:
"you can't change your wedding just because someone can't go...you can't make everyone happy"

Good point mom, but it is his best friend. The worst part isn't even that they will miss each other's wedding (which sucks) but that all of their friends (they are a really tight group of guys who have grown up together) will have to choose which wedding to attend. This just doesn't sound good!

I know what you are thinking...have one in the early afternoon and one at night. NO-we live 3.5 hours from each other so that would just not work and unfortunately, most of Jason's friends live very close to the other may 23 wedding so by default would probably choose the other wedding.

We are still waiting to see what the other couple decides or says. They never returned Jason's last text.

Does anyone have advice or a similar situation?

Our Wedding Blog

Jason and I send greetings from Corsicana, Texas, Jason's hometown! We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. We have been blessed to spend lots of quality time with my family and his and to visit with friends we haven't seen in awhile.

We have officially started our wedding blog! I told you it would be coming soon. We created the header together today and would love for you to stop by!

We named it, The Perfect Catch Wedding Blog, for the obvious reason that we are each other's perfect catch, but to also highlight Jason's love of fishing and all of the time we have spent doing this together. It felt appropriate since we even got engaged on the beach during a fishing weekend.

Visit it often so we can share our stories and pictures of our planning process as we make the transition from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife.

http://theperfectcatchwedding.blogspot.com

Rachael Ray's Wedding Rescue

So remember this couple from my last post...

Well, they were planning on getting married in July 2009, had picked a reception venue, put down deposits, and was trucking along. Post, Hurricane Ike, we all learned that their venue along with others in Houston went bankrupt due to the storm and bad business practices. All of the deposit money was lost!

In comes, Rachael Ray, who surprised dozens of couples, John and Carol included, with a group wedding at Minute Maid Park! The only catch-the couples had to get married the very next weekend (and they could only invite 10 guests) and this was back in October so needless to say, John and Carol felt too rushed and decided to move forward with creating their dream wedding which is now to take place in April 2009.

You can see the whole episode of the "Harris County Brides" on Rachael Ray's website, but here is a clip of where they told the couples the plan...it is hard to see Carol because she is so cute and tiny, but John is in the lime green shirt...he gets a close-up!!!

http://www.rachelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/rachael-ray-giving-us-wedding/