Hotel Booked . . . Sloth in Sight

We booked the hotel in Manual Antonio. It is called the Mariposa and it rocks!

http://www.hotelmariposa.com/

We will be staying there from April 8-12 and will be getting married on the 10th. I really like even numbers, so I picked 4-10-2010. I feel great about that hotel because I saw a picture of seven monkeys hanging out on their deck.

Another animal that I am SERIOUSLY excited about seeing in Costa Rica is the sloth. There is a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica, but it is on the Caribbean side and we will be staying on the Pacific side. I have been a bit obsessed with baby sloths for the last year, since I watched a video on YouTube of some rescued babies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqio2G_Ra6g

They are so strange. Their faces remind me of a young Paul McCartney, when he had a bowl haircut.

When they aren't in the trees they walk like beached

sea creatures. Their "toes" are like chopsticks.

But there is something about them that is so adorable!

I really want to hold one and see its face close up!

A lesson on Bouquet Making

This morning I visited my favorite Boulder florist, Sturtz & Copeland. My mission was to look at the different flowers and make a game plan for building my own bouquet. I watched several videos on YouTube explaining how to make a bridal bouquet. There are two main types. Hand tied bouquets are made by taping all of the stems of the bouquet together and then wrapping a ribbon around the bottom as a handle. The second involves a product called Oasis. This is flower foam on a handle that you soak in water. Then you push the stems of the bouquet into the foam and it prolongs the blooms. I want to be able to make both of them so I am not limited.

There is also a technique called wiring, where you insert a wire into the center of the flower and it acts as a stem. Flowers like orchids have very short stems, so without wiring you can't use them in a bouquet. Because of the abundance of orchids in costa rice, I am fairly sure that I will be using them in our flower arrangements. So I went to Sturtz to check them out and get an idea of what I will be working with.

Sturtz has a great selection of orchids, but I didn't see a pink cattleya on display. I poked around the whole store and then saw a huge pink cattleya orchid. But it was in an employee work area. I walked over and got as close as I could when a woman who worked at the store came up behind me and asked me if I needed help. So I started chatting her up and eventually asked her if she made wedding bouquets. She said she didn't, but she found someone who did. The second woman took me in back and showed me the best way to wire an orchid and then tape it with flower tape. She even let me keep the practice orchid.

My second stop of the day was Joanne's fabrics. I was picking out fabric to make my sister a ringbearer's pillow. I bought flower tape and wire, an oasis handle and some boutonniere pins. My next plan is to buy flowers from the supermarket and practice making a bouquet. After I got home I made the flower that will attach to my sister's ringbearer pillow, using pearls from one

of Mama Dot's necklaces.

Dog running on vinyl flooring

Today I looked at tons of pictures trying to get ideas for the bouquet. My plan is to find examples of several different types and then see what kinds of flowers are available. I will bring all of the basic supplies, like ribbon, floral tape & wire. On the day of the ceremony I will make bouquets for myself and Sam and then boutonnieres for Brad, Jim and Baby O. I think I will may make an extra bouquet and boutonniere specifically for the pictures. There are several things I need to figure out next week: altering the dress, hotel arrangements, music and officiant.

I had a session with the trainer today. I am such a weakling! I was almost embarrassed that I was using 3 pound weights. I was so tired. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of hiking through the forest, looking for monkeys. I even dressed Owen in his monkey suit. Another thing I need to look into is flying with the baby. We have a lot of extra stuff for him so I need to figure out what the airline will allow, and what we will have to pay extra for.

This isn't the most interesting post, but I really want to get in the habit of writing every day. Sorry!

Visions of Cattleyas Dance in my Head

I didn't do much wedding planning today. In the morning I went to the gym and dropped Owen off in their childcare center. Then I took a shower, blow dried my hair and picked Owen back up. I love "working out."

I talked to a friend today that took a vacation to Manuel Antonio (the location of the wedding). She said that she saw monkeys and got so close that she could have touched one of them. My question is why would she not reach out and touch the monkey? In an ideal world, I would love to hire a trained monkey to be our ring bearer Or at least a bridesmaid.

I will touch a monkey in Costa Rica (and a sloth, preferably a baby). The monkeys are one of the reasons we are going to Costa Rica. Years ago when Brad and I talked about going on a honeymoon, we said that we wanted to go somewhere on the beach, with rainforest, monkeys and dolphins. My friend also said that it was beautiful and warm. It was a very encouraging sign that getting married in Costa Rica is a good idea.

Everything is falling into place. Yesterday the perfect dress

came into my possession for free (more on that in a later post). My favorite flower is native to Costa Rica and blooming in April. To me, the Cattleya orchid represents the fragile and exquisite beauty of life. I even have a tattoo of one! The best part is that Sam told me that the exotic flowers are the cheapest! Seriously? I'm planning on making the bouquets and boutonnieres (fancy word for man flower).

I have a really good feeling about everything. I want the planning process to be almost as fun as the actual trip. There is a lot of work to be done, but so far it has been smooth sailing.

Surprise: We're eloping!!

So here I am, beginning a blog. My goal is both basic and challenging: to share my experience planning my wedding, but still keeping it somewhat secret. I say somewhat because Brad and I have told our families and a few friends. When people ask us when we are going to get married, for the last year we have been giving nebulous answers about eloping to South America, but the plane tickets have been bought and planning has begun. We are doing it!

So here is the plan: one month from today (April 2nd), Brad, Owen and I will board a plane headed to San Jose, Costa Rica. Our good friends Sam and Jim have been living in Costa Rica for seven months. They will pick us up at the airport and bring us to the surfing town of Jaco. We want to surf, zip-line, hike and explore in the jungle, hold a monkey, play at the beach and go sailing.

Owen will be eleven months old. He has never been on a plane. Brad and I have decided not to have him vaccinated beyond what we have already done. He will still be breast feeding and we will bring baby food to last through the trip. I told Brad that I was hoping they would let us take him zip lining in the canopy. Brad said that he would rappel ninety feet down with him. So we will see! On April 10th, we will get married on the beach in the Manuel Antonio National Park. Today Brad and I picked out our wedding bands.

Up until today, I have felt burdened and stressed when I thought about getting married. Not because of Brad. The tension and strain has been related to dealing with family, finances, expectations and reality. Brad and I took a walk with Baby O and hun bun. It was the first day that it felt like spring and the sun was shining. I felt like a weight had been lifted. I am madly in love with Brad and we are planning the day when we will commit our lives to each other. Everything is falling in place. I'm going to try to blog everyday, but I can't guarantee.