Domestic Goddess Turns Entrepreneur Too?

Sue!

Ok first of all? That post title almost gave me a heart attack.

But now that I am over the shock-turned-disbelief-turned-disappointment that you continue to avoid being bitten by the wedding bug, I have to say I am so proud of you! You go, girl! You are such the budding entrepreneur!

Now that I have survived my MBA program for over a month (hard to believe, considering the almost weekly breakdowns I have been having - I don't know what I would do without the Lawyer! For reals.) I have to say that I am more and more tempted by the thought of starting my own biz. Or a bunch of bizzes, like you are creating! 

Do we have any other DomestiPreneurs out there??? If you're out there, tell us about your fabulous business!

Of course I have no idea what I would want to do. I wish I had the gumption to be a wedding planner - I could specialize in planning weddings on one side of the pond from the other! Now there's a niche, right? Of course, not that I have been able to do much of my own wedding planning lately - but that's fodder for another post. Or lack thereof.

But I love the idea of being my own boss, and starting up a business around something I'm truly passionate about. Going to work should be FUN, right? Not to mention the fact that I want to be able to make my own schedule so that I have time to raise Lawyer Jr. and his little sister, DomestiGirl.  

There are so many amazing, enterprising women out there. Including you, Sue! I think I might 

just have to jump on the bandwagon...

Hmm,

Jen

Ex-Homemaker Seeks Solace

Hello Sue!

So I am horrified to report that I will be slaving away to complete - and possibly, very possibly, even pass - a business statistics exam today. How heinous is that? Makes me long for my Domestic Goddess days more than ever...

Speaking of which, check out the fab tea towel I spotted this past weekend at this A to the Dorable store in London called Emma Bridgewater:

Do you love it or do you LOVE it?

But I didn't buy it. I just stared longingly and snapped that quick pic with my iPhone. 

Sigh.

Is it pathetic that I miss homemaking? I mean, here I am in this worldly MBA program, surrounded by some of the brightest people I have ever encountered, and I am missing doing the dishes, doing the laundry. Not to mention my Dyson! 

Sigh.

I suppose that I long for those simpler days because MBAland could not be located at more of an opposite pole than Domestic Goddessville. And that's okay. I am a career woman, after all. (If by "career woman" I mean "wanting to make as much money as quickly as possible so I can support The Lawyer in his early retirement and raise our family and learn to make pottery and live happily ever after, Dysoning to my heart's content.") I may not rock this exam today - especially since yesterday was my birthday and really? Who studies stats on her birthday? - but I will rock this program in my own way, just as I rocked my Domestic Goddess days.

So Sue, and gals out there, please hand-wash a mug for me today. Do a load of delicates, hang them on the clothesline, and know that I would be by your side handing you your undies in a heartbeat.

With love and a brainful of statistical mush,

Jen

Home Sweet Dorm Room

Greetings, dearest Sue, from my new home!

Ah yes. Dorm Sweet Dorm.

I have now been in my new dorm room for a week, and fortunately my domestic goddessness has inspired me to make it as homey as I possibly can, considering the stained carpet, mildewy bathroom, and very white walls that we are, alas, not allowed to decorate (though I think I could get away with those cute vinyl wall decals everyone has these days - Gals in the blogosphere, any suggestions?).

So, wanna see where I live? (You know you do.) Here I am:

No, not in the church. That's the belltower that wakes me up every morning. The chalet-looking structure beneath it is my dorm. Picturesque, eh?

So, you know, it's fine. I mean, being away from The Lawyer absolutely completely totally sucks. But at the same time I know this is an important year for me, and I am determined to get as much as I can out of this program and out of my life here.

The Lawyer, for his part, has been A to the Mazing throughout all of this. He gave me a bunch of dormwarming presents, including some college paraphernalia (you know I heart paraphernalia); bridal mags for bedside reading (YES! He went out and bought me bridal mags! That is right up there with buying tampons! I am a lucky girl.); two beautiful orchids - my fave flower; and some champagne. But! The best, most amazing gift he got me is... well, see for yourself:

Aw yeah dawg! That there is a hand-held DYSON, baby! I mean does The Lawyer know me or what?

Now that I have a Dyson, this place truly feels like home.

(Just don't get me started on how gross it is sharing a kitchen with grad students...)

Ew.

LOVE!

DomestiGrad Jen

DomestiGrad Student Jen Starts School

First things first. Gals, thank you for your feedback regarding my first day of school outfit!

The winning outfit is...

Look out Blair Waldorf, Queen J is in town!

Thanks to you, I will be feeling fierce and fabulous as I enter these doors... 

... of my new business school this morning.

(Yeah, don't even get me started on the wacko color scheme.)

Ack! I'm so nervous! But I know this will be a great step for me, even if it means adding "DomestiGrad Student" to my title. Sigh. Move on over, Domestic Goddess. There's a new nerd in town.

Now that I'm abandoning my Domestic Goddessness! Nope! I cherish my Dyson too much to consider myself anything less than a DomestiGrad-Goddess hybrid. But I will miss my leisurely days of Domestic Goddessness. They already feel very far away.

What will I miss most? Thank you for asking, ladies. Let me list the ways...

1. Rotating among my warm-ups, pjs, sweats, and workout clothes. While I am ready to dress a little more formally, I will sorely miss oozing fabulosity in my Lululemon ensembles all day long.

2. Twice-weekly workouts with Colossus. More on this soon (see my post-script below)... but I will now only be seeing Colossus once a week. My butt might be grateful, but the rest of me aches with sadness (and lack of soreness).

3. Leisurely, wine-filled lunches with my newly engaged fellow lady of leisure. These lunches were my biggest indulgence these past months... and were totally, completely fabulous. I will miss them dearly. Not that I won't be drinking in the middle of the day during my MBA. But it just won't be the same.

4. Awaiting The Lawyer's return from work every night. I know this is super-cheesy and rather un-feminist of me, but the best part of each Domestic Goddess day was the return of The Lawyer from work. After all this time, and all we've been through, the sound of his key in the door still gives me butterflies.

5. Keeping up with all my Gals in the blogosphere. Rest assured, ladies, I will continue to post here all the time. And I will keep up with your blogs as best I can. There are so many amazing writers out there, and blogs chock full of inspiration for my wedding and my life - I will miss checking in every day. But I will still be around! I promise!

Ok, off to school I go. Holy crap.

BIG BIG BIG love,

DomestiGrad Jen

P.S. As mentioned above I had an AMAZING last pre-MBA workout with Colossus the other day. Will be posting about it soon. Stay tuned... you do NOT want to miss this post, trust me!

Happy BlogDay!

BlogDay is here! Oh boy!

Ok so maybe we just found out about this a few days ago, but nevertheless we are super psyched to be taking part in this wonderful day.

We have been enjoying writing to each other (and you, dearest darling readers!) on our blog so much, and through our blog we have discovered other A to the Mazing gals out there oozing fabulosity into the blogosphere.

That being said, it was rather horrifying and ridiculous trying to choose only five of our faves. As we're new to this, all these blogs are new to us - and the more blogs we read, the more blogs we love. But there are a handful who are special to us for reasons we denote below.

So today, on BlogDay, we honor these gals thusly.*

First up: Veronica from a bride in the making. Veronica was one of our very first supporters - she even posted about us! - and we love reading her chronicle of her wedding planning. Pulling off a fab wedding in NYC is not an easy feat, yet we have the utmost confidence that her nuptials will be fantastic.

Next: Bekah from Country Mouse. If the name of her blog weren't cute enough (I mean who did not have that children's book on the bookshelf back in our more innocent days?), her writing is refreshingly genuine. This post is one of the most courageous we have read. Kudos to you, Bekah!

So, one of us (Domestic Goddess Jen) was born in Chicago and has a soft spot for gals who are making a living there. Especially if they appreciate the Bean! But that is not the only reason we are singling out Jessica today. Her blog, The Everyday Adventures of Me in the City, is sweet and highly entertaining. She's one of those girls with whom you can't help but think you'd be bff even though you've never met.

Another Chicago gal and budding domestic goddess (!!!), Renee, has a delightful blog called A Beautiful Day in the Reneeborhood. Her live-blog post of the Olympic closing ceremonies is a classic. We love her dry, keen wit and the fact that she calls her new apartment Club Guac is hilare.

Last but definitely not least, we must recognize the gal who alerted us to BlogDay in the first place: Jenn from Free and Flawed. Her blog is so intelligent, we love the design, and Jenn is a superstar in the blogging community. She keeps us all motivated and organized!

You go gals!

There are so many other blogs that delight and inspire us. We will be sharing more of our favorites in the posts to come...

xoxo,

Sue and Jen, your DomestiGals

*Ok, so we are not following the BlogDay rules perfectly... oops. Maybe next year! In the meantime, we will still use BlogDay to spread good karma throughout the interwebs. Can't argue with that!

Valentine's Day and Vibrators

Um, okay. So it's not Valentine's Day and it's really 6 months away. But, what better way to *prepare* for Valentine's Day than by getting that vagina in shape!

Wait, wait, Domestic Goddess Jen, don't stop reading yet!

I know I've horrified you and you're practically hail Mary-ing your way to your business school as we speak; however, can we just pretend -- for a DomestiGal Moment -- that we're getting your coochie snorcher in shape for The Lawyer?

Hello, I have discovered a product called Sexerciseme. So, you see, it's not really just for the pleasure of your itsy bitsies! This vibrator is designed so you can take a break from all those kegel exercises you are practicing with Colossus, your personal trainer.

(Stop pretending you're actually doing bicep curls and squats with Colossus -- you haven't fooled me for a second.)

Anyway, I obviously have a collection of 4 different vibrators and I can't wait until you catch up with me! Let me know which one you decide to buy and we'll go from there. Actually, better yet, charge it to The Lawyer's credit card and we'll all have a field day!

By the way, let's call your vibrator "The Michael Phelps." I mean, duh, you'll be using it on your delicate China Dishes, so it's only fair that we keep the Olympic theme going.

Ew. Who just said that?

;)

With love,

Domestic Partner Sue

Money and Wedding Etiquette

Dearest Jen,

You were *much* needed here in the Big Apple the other day. My friend, Dana, and I were completely lost without you. Dana has been with her boyfriend for about eight years, and the other day they decided to get engaged -- just because.

Actually, she forgot to tell me she was engaged for about 2 weeks. You see, I’d like to take a DomestiGal moment to explain that Dana – like me – is not a blushing-bride-in-waiting. She’s a little more “traditional” than me, I suppose, because she’s actually going to have a wedding. But, in the end, she didn’t really care about transitioning from her Domestic Partnership status to Wedded Bliss.

Which brings me to my question.

This question has to deal with wedding etiquette. You see, she doesn’t want to have a bridal registry and get a bunch of useless Tupperware and china dishes that she’ll only end up breaking or selling on eBay. Instead, she wants hard cold cash.

However.

Clearly it’s tres rude to just say, “Give me cash, not cheesy gifts” on your wedding card invitation. But how should one go about doing this?

One of her friends told her that she should just register on The Knot, get all the gifts, and then exchange them for cash. But then she has just made all her friends pay for shipping, and it seems just as mean-spirited to do such a thing.

Thoughts out there in DomestiGal land?

How have the rest of you dealt with this not-quite-as-delicate-as-your-cooch issue?

Love,

Domestic Partner Sue

Ode to Dy

Sue,

Every trace of the teenagers is gone!  Phew!  Bless my Dyson.  My house is mine again.  Of course, that means I need to buckle down and actually be a little bit productive.  I fear, with the arrival of my pre-MBA course reading and career services preparation (that I have been informed in no subtle way is "COMPULSORY" - whoa! Settle down, folks!), that my lady of leisure days are drawing to a close.  Horrifying.  Seriously.

But I will not go quietly!  I will continue to plan my wedding despite the lack of an engagement ring!  I will strive to be the best Domestic Goddess I can be despite the fact that I will soon assume another, much less fabulous title of "grad student"!  Most importantly of all, I will remain dedicated to my Dyson and the dust-free, teenage grit-free environment it provides.

In fact, so enthused am I about my Dyson that I came up with a little ditty today (with kudos to Beethoven, obv)...

Ahem.  Here goes.

Ode to Dy

Dyson, Dyson
I adore Thee

God of Suction

Lord of Clean

Bunnies of dust flee before Thee

Hail Thee to the homey gleam 

Suck the dirt of jogs and errands 

Rid the house of my hairballs

Not that I have grody split-ends

But they add up 'gainst the walls

Housewives join the mighty chorus

Which the morning tasks began

Dyson love is reigning o'er us

Vacuum love leaves time to tan

Ever cleaning march we onward

Fabulous in the name of "wife"

Joyful suction brings us sun-ward

In the triumph song of life

I have too much free time.  I know.  And I am cherishing every second of it.

Love,

Jen, the Domestic Goddess 4evah!

Dooce this.

Dear Jen,

I think I officially know what your (our?) goal should be in life after you stop being a DomestiGal of Leisure and complete your MBA. To be, as Heather B. Armstrong writes in her blog Dooce, a "Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) or a Shit Ass Ho Motherfucker." Think I'm joking? Check her out at Dooce where her mission statement is "Talking a lot about poop, boobs, her dog, and her daughter. Dooced: to lose one’s job because of one’s website."

I mean, Domestic Goddess, seriously.

• You're beyond obsessed with vacuums, you kind of have me wondering what you're actually doing with that hose all day long. (I can't believe that you and The Lawyer are so messy that you have to vacuum every day.)

• You actually had a good time with teenage girls (that are not your own) this past week. That's just freakish.

If I get one more behind-the-blog-scenes email from you about your bridal woes, I might have to go all Taiwanese ape-shit on you and travel to London to lovingly do the following:





With great affection,

Sue the Sane

Olympic Hormones?

DP,

WHAT is my problem?!  I mean it was one thing to get teary watching that cute octogenarian lesbian couple tying the knot in San Fran a couple months ago.  But I just flipped on the Olympic Opening Ceremony while I eat my sushi for lunch, and I seriously almost choked on my salmon nigri.

I don't know what it is!  It's gotta be more than the whole ring theme, right?  I suppose it's just the thought that these athletes who are parading around are the best in the world at what they do - which is phenomenal enough in itself.  And also that their entire lives have led up to this moment, to these games.  Huh.  Uh-oh... as much as I would like to believe that not everything in my life makes me think about my wedding, the idea of one's life leading up to one big event... uy yuy yuy.  This is getting embarrassing.

Speaking of embarrassing, this is why I heart the BBC:

You know I could not be less into politics, but I must describe this a to the mazing moment that just occurred.  So all the teams are coming out one by one, being announced, waving to the crowd, etc.

Then Iraq comes out - with only about six athletes - and the crowd goes wild. Like, bananas, cheering.  While the announcers are talking about the "challenges" these athletes have had to "overcome" to get to the Games, the camera cuts to W and Laura sitting in the stands, awkward grins and blank stares plastered to their faces.  GENIUS.

Anyway.  I should probably turn this off before the Americans make their entrance.  I might lose it, and we're having company over for dinner tonight so I really can't have puffy bags under my eyes.

Have a great weekend, hot stuff!

xo

DG

Lady Who Lunches

DP my darling,

First things first - lest you thought that I was so distracted by our fabulous new Design-Her Gals to catch your last line there - you don't look good in white? Are you kidding me? That's what our ever-expanding blogroll is for, my dear, so that you can see for yourself that plenty of brides get married in wedding dresses of color. For starters, check out Offbeat Bride - including a whole gallery of red wedding dresses -

Not that I'm trying to convince you to get hitched, because goodness knows I would not be able to handle your whining.

Let's move on, shall we?

Just wanted to let you know that I just returned from a three and a half hour ladies' lunch with a girlfriend of mine here in London, a fellow lady of leisure.  And it was fabulous.  I had two glasses of wine with my goat cheese pannacotta and braised lamb with roasted veg (okay while I promise to not take on much of the lingo or - worse - a fake accent while I'm over here, I have started saying veg. You know me and know I used to abbreviate everything in NYC anyway so I am ALLOWED VEG, okay?) and then split a chocolate fondant for dessert.  Definitely not Colossus-approved, definitely fabulous in every way. Especially the wine.  How is it that wine tastes so amazing in the afternoon?

Alas, now it's almost - oh no wait, it's quarter past - 5pm and I really have not done much with my day besides bask in my fabulosity.  Sigh.  Perhaps I'll go watch a little telly and eat some bonbons.

(Kidding. Of course I don't really say telly and bonbons have been banned from our house due to our Colossal diet makeover. I think I'll do laundry instead.)

With love from leisureland,

DG

Fusion Finances and JewAsians

Dearest Domestic Goddess,

My lord. While you were busy figuring out what monogram is going to be on your wedding invitations and bathrobes, I was asking The Doctor the following question, "Darling, if you die and I'm already dead (even though I'm 10 years younger and fabulously fit), to whom should our possessions go?" Of course, at this point my only prized possessions are my laptop and my various assortment of vibrators, and those should probably be buried with me.

Why was I asking such a horrid question? Because, in Domestic Partnership land here in Manhattan, we've got our follow up appointment with our Financial Advisor (i.e. "Our Relationships Savior").

We had to sit down today for two hours and discuss forming our future living wills, our investment strategy, when we plan to retire and die, how outrageous we are about spending lots of money on wine and sake, why his insists on throwing his underwear all over the apartment, Italian-Japanese fusion (the newest downtown trendy delight) and other only-necessary-in-NY-but-possibly-London sort of financial things.

The amazing thing is that I would rather be spending hours talking about finances then looking at monograms. It's sounds so terribly WASPy, my dear Domestic Goddess. You see, here in Asian Dragon-Jewish Doctor (JewAsian? Jew(y)ellow?) Couplehood, we just don't think of these things.

That said, I want whatever you want. (I'm sitting here, trembling in my seat, for fear of pissing off Bridezilla-in-Waiting). They are all stunningly beautiful monograms.

I mean, obviously I'm just jealous.

Don't you see? The real reason I don't want to get married is because Asians simply don't look good in white. It so doesn't go with our skin tone.

xx,
Twinkie

Monogram THIS!

Sue,

On a scale of one to get a frickin' life, how pathetic is it that my first thought when I was jarred awake this morning by the garbage men at the undomestic goddessly hour of 7:30AM was, "Ooh! More time to get crackin' on our monogram!"

In case you don't know the all-important icon to which I refer, the monogram not only symbolizes your first minutes and hours as a married couple, but it also adds personalized style and sophistication to the overall design of the wedding reception. Yeah, I doubt you had one of these at your post office ceremony. Basically, the monogram should capture the vibe that you and your beloved wish to capture at your wedding and for the rest of your lives. So, you know, no pressure on my mad design skillz or lack thereof or anything.

Because I refuse to actually pay for someone else to put our monogram together for us. So I am determined to find one that fits us! And in fact, I have a few possibilities. Let me know what you think!

[Please note that I am still marrying The Lawyer. Initials and wedding date have been changed to protect his innocence.]

Number One - "Antique Chic":

Number Two - "Classy Classic":

Number Three - "Classic with a Twist":

Number Four - "Classic with a Shout":

Well? Thoughts? Do you like any of them or do I need to go back to the drawing board (or, in my case, PowerPoint slide)?

xo

DG

P.S. A big THANK YOU to the ladies who have commented on their faves of the above choices - keep your input coming! (Since Sue is really not helpful when it comes to things like this...)

Bridezilla Schmidezilla

My dearest and favoritest Domestic Partner,

Okay, so you are also the only gal I know who is in a legal domestic partnership, but that doesn't mean my love and admiration for you are any less,

Fear not! Just because I stayed awake for my entire red-eye flight from Detroit to London reading my new crop of bridal mags from cover to cover does not - I repeat, does NOT - mean that I will go all bridezilla on your yenta-cum-ministress ass.

I am the first to admit that booking our wedding location and starting the planning process before getting engaged, yes, without an engagement ring on my finger, is unconventional - though I must also say that it is much easier to browse vendors' websites without being blinded by the rays of glorious light emanating from my Ring of Dreams.

I will also admit that commencing Bridal Boot Camp and counting grams of protein with over a year to go until my nuptials may be a little intense - but remember, I am a Domestic Goddess! I don't work, I Dyson! What else am I going to do all day if I'm not exercising vigilance over my increasingly hot physique?

You can also give thanks to the High and Mighty Internet for keeping me sane in the coming months - okay, YEAR and months. There are a ton of fabulous, grounded brides-to-be out there: Veronica from NYC, Kelly and Natalie in DC, and even a gal in LA who is planning a $10,000 wedding! I mean how crazy can I possibly go?

Love,

Bridezilla in Waiting?

Jen,

I laughed hilariously over the fact that you took a picture of all the bridal magazines you bought. I laughed, but then I stopped a few seconds later with a thought that left me in horror.

Are you a bridezilla-in-waiting?

I know I agreed to be your Naughty Pastor who presides over the ceremony, but am I going to come out of the wedding rehearsal with a black eye and a broken arm? I mean, it's okay if I am, I just want to be prepared.

Thankfully, none of my friends have traditional weddings (or get married), so I've never been privy to this sort of person. I'm wondering if you'll be my first.

Here are a list of my concerns and grievances:

1. You already have a psychotic (but hot) trainer, Colossus, over a year before you get engaged.
2. You've been emailing me every 5 minutes about how much protein you should/should not be eating.
3. Your wedding location place is booked.
4. Um, am I playing the piano at your wedding and saying "You may now kiss the hopefully-back-to-normal bride"?
5. You've been swimming in all your bridal magazine cutouts and pasting them all over your room so now The Lawyer has no place to sleep next to you. (Okay, this may not be true, but this is what I envision).

Just for clarity to all our new friends out in google-andia, you are not -- I repeat -- not yet engaged. Right?

What's going to happen when you officially get engaged?

I think I'm going to check out http://www.bridezilla.com/ and see if they have a support center for Nervous Nellies like me. I'm worried that I'm going to open up a package from you in the near future, and it's going to be a Nutella bomb from all the chocolate you haven't been allowing yourself to eat over there in London.

Let it be known right now, I hope we're still friends a year from now.

For now, I'm happy with my domestic partnership over here in Manhattan. After all, if my ass has an extra jiggle in it from eating the full box of Annie's mac 'n cheese, it only gets The Doctor more excited.

Love,

Sue

Bridal Mag Hag

Hello from the great state of Michigan!

Yes, DP, I am back in the good ol' US of A, though just for a quick trip to check out my mom's new digs (and have her take me shopping - obv). Although I miss the BF tremendously, it is great to be back in the land of the free, eating bratwurst and cheese curds (Colossus be damned!) and watching Chicago Cubs games. Ah yes, the midwest brings out a whole different side of me, doesn't it? And that side is growing wider by the second, I might add. I can feel the cheese curds going right to my hips. Colossus is going to have my ass on a platter for this behavior, but I just can't help myself. Fortunately I will be back in Londontown soon.

One of my other top priorities for this quick jaunt across the pond, I'll have you know, is making a great investment in my wedding planning: bridal magazines! Yessssssssssss!!! I have waited my whole life to actually legitimately buy a bridal magazine, and now I am the proud owner of five - count 'em - FIVE!

Okay, and when I say "legitimately" I am obviously looking right past my bare ring finger. FYI, I did ask the BF if I could purchase these magazines while over here and he gave me his blessing (of course, I would have bought them and sneaked them back into the house anyway but don't tell him I said that).

Are you ready? Here they are:



And the best part is, these are the summer issues - and our wedding is next fall - so I will have to buy a whole new crop when the fall 2008 issues are out! Woohoo!

You may also notice that I have already gone through one of them and marked some ideas with sticky notes. I am going to relish every page of these babies. Best. Plane reading. Ever.

So that's it from Motown. I will be back to London and my Domestic Goddess duties soon!

Cheerio!

DG

We Fit

My dear DP,

I emailed my friend Sasha to fill her in on my new training regimen, and couldn’t help but attach a photo of my uberhot trainer. She perhaps captured my journey to fitness best: "There are really no words for your trainer. How are you doing without wine?"

Which, considering my behavior back in NYC, especially right before we moved (you know the combo of the holidays + leaving my job + saying goodbye to all my NYC peeps was an alcohol-bloat- extravaganza), is an understandable reaction and a fair question. But what's miraculous, besides Colossus himself, obv, is the fact that I haven't missed alcohol! I haven't missed chocolate! And the only carb I've longed for is this fabulous granola they make at one of the grocery stores over here. I mean that stuff must be laced with crack. The BF and I could polish off one huge-ass bag a week. I somehow found a way to incorporate it into every meal, even more creatively than I did with Nutella. (Because let's face it, more often than not I would just eat Nutella out of the jar with a spoon. Who doesn’t?)

Anyway, all this is to say that I am very proud of myself for conquering my vices and getting fit for real. Of course, if your wedding is not going to motivate you to put down the Nutella jar, what will? But it's incredibly empowering to feel like the BF and I are changing our lifestyle for the better. And I thought you, Ms. Fitness Guru, would appreciate that.

Xoxo,

DG

P.S. In case you didn't notice, that subject line up there is a clever little pun (if I do say so myself) - you know, Wii Fit? We (the BF and I) are Fit? Get it? But seriously, I feel a little weird to be obsessed with a Nintendo product but I cannot wait for the BF to purchase us a Wii Fit - which I know he will, because he is a gadgetaholic. Have you seen these things? You can do yoga on it! You can do balance exercises on it! It's like having your own personal trainer right at home! Not that anything could ever replace Colossus. But. I'm just saying. The Wii Fit looks hot.

Baby Name Bliss

DP,

Amazing. You and the Doctor are discussing baby names over there in NYC, while the Lawyer and I are IMing about them, literally, as I type this! Love it.

So did you guys pick anything? Are you going to do family names or just pick a name you like? I know you must be bummed that Brangelina already took "Knox Leon" - I'm sure that was at the top of your list. I must give them credit for Vivienne Marcheline, however. Gorge. And what about Nicole Kidman and Kieth Urban's new baby, Sunday Rose? I kind of like that too.

We are going the family route, though subtely. No Lawyer, Jr. or anything like that. We are using last names as first names, favorite family names, abbreviated family names. I just looked up all their meanings this morning and most of them are fab! "Favored grace" is the meaning of our top girl name. I mean, can't beat that! And "pearl" is the meaning of the other, which will always remind me of my cat. I got her for Christmas when I was four, and wanted to name her "dead flower" because she was the light brown color of a flower faded and shriveled in the sun. When my mom suggested I think of other names, I thought of Pearl and then, the winner: Violet. Which is a name I actually love. Too bad I am kind of anti naming kids after pets. Though I could also say I'm naming the kid after Ben Affleck and Jen Garner's tot. She's a cutie.

For boys, we had to cross off our top pick because its meaning was "little dark one" and that sounds too ominous. But instead we found "wealthy guard," "full of goodness," and "strong protector," all of which are winners in my book.

So now I just need to get engaged, get my MBA, get married, and get knocked up! The Ring of Dreams may not be purchased, and the wedding planning may have a long way to go, but at least we've got the names figured out.

Phew!

DG

P.S. Notice I am ignoring your whole pre-nup schpiel. I mean could you BE any less romantic? I guess I get your drift, but I'd rather think about diamonds and babies. Obv.

Show Me the Blingy

Sue darling,

It has been an historic day. Well, not actually all that historic, since the BF and I browsed rings in the States at Tiffany before we moved, but how I love typing “an historic” and also, today was no slouch of a day, either!

In true Lady of Leisure style, I sashayed and shanteyed (wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve quoted RuPaul – I am showing my age) up, around, over, and through Hatton Garden, London’s blingtacular diamond district. How fabulously civilized it was! There were no skeevy men trying to woo you into their stores like they do in NYC – and I mean, does that ever work? Ew. And the three salespeople with whom I worked were all totally friendly and helpful. If only their rings were a little nicer… alas, I am still lusting after a Tiffany diamond, as the BF and his bank account will no doubt be thrilled to hear.

[That being said, it’s his own fault. He is the one that suggested we take a spin through Tiffany on that glorious day back in January. I mean what did he expect?]

Even if I did not find the Ring of Dreams today, my delicious journey was educational and eye-opening. I learned a lot about the ring fabrication process, and about diamonds themselves. Or, rather, how effing expensive they are. One moment that was positively surreal witnessed me balancing two diamonds in my finger cleavage (you know, if you straighten your fingers and then smush them together) to compare their size and color. These were not huge stones, mind you – one was 1 carat, the other was about 1.5 carats – but there I was, with $40,000 worth of diamonds sitting in my finger cleave. It was mayjah.

To be perfectly honest, I am just trying to bask in the glory of my truly leisurely and fabulous day and not freak out about how INCREDIBLY FRICKING RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED these things are. I have accepted that I am a total sucker for this tradition of ye olde diamond engagement ring, and I must suffer the consequences (guilt, guilt, and more guilt) in the knowledge that it will be worth it to have my Ring of Dreams on my finger as a symbol of our love and a future family heirloom. TG the BF loves me enough to support all this. Well, or at least he does now. I cannot speak for when he learns that my heart does, indeed, belong to Tiffany after all…

How about you? Are you even considering getting some sort of ring at this point? Don’t let me down, sista!

Xoxo

Your DG

P.S. Off to galavant with the BF around Italy! Back soon! Ciao!

P.P.S. And don't think the joy of being able to take vacation whenever I want is lost on your favorite Lady of Leisure...