Bridal Mags 4evah!

Sue,

I am so excited. I have a new project! Well, or, I will. 

Check it: as you know, I basically waited my whole life to be able to buy bridal magazines and have been delighting in their presence in our little house. Wanna see them again? You know you do...

Hooray!

So anyway, along with my delight has come an ever-increasing anxiety. Now that the mags are here, what am I going to do with them when the wedding is over? Granted, I still have over a year to figure this out, but nevertheless it has been weighing on my mind.

Well, thanks to Jaime (and her lovely blog that is chock full of inspiration), I now know what I can do! I will turn my cherished magazines into eco-chic picture frames in which I can put some of our wedding photos! Genius!

Jaime got the idea from Home Made Simple and I think it is just brilliant.

Look at how nice I will look!

Yours in crafty fabulosity,

Jen

Money and Wedding Etiquette Part II

S-F Sue,

Just writing to hear how your cleanse went - um, NO. Do NOT need to hear about your bowel movements. But, uh, thanks for the offer.

So, a few posts back, you mentioned your friend who wants dough for her wedding.

If I couldn't be there for you, I'm glad our DomestiGals in the blogosphere stepped up to the plate with their advice and anecdotes. My favorite morsel of hilarity comes from Michelle Woo (who happens to have a fabulous blog), who said that a friend sent a message that read, "wallet-$ized gift$, plea$e." OMG! It's almost too tacky to be true!

As for The Lawyer and I, we are thinking that instead of registering for stuff or asking for moolah, we would like to ask our invitees to make donations to one (or both) of two charitable funds. We each picked one, and both funds honor our dearest deceased family members, so I think it will be a really nice tribute - not to mention the dough that will be raised for very good causes.

DP, you'll be officiating at these nuptials. What do you think?

Gals in the blogosphere, have any of you done this or attended weddings of those who have?

Not that any of you can tell me it's a crap idea. Because obv it's thoughtful and whatnot. I guess what I really want to know is, am I a terrible person for also kind of wanting a KitchenAid mixer and some new sheets? And how do I reconcile the charity vs. KitchenAid conflict stirring in my soul?

xoxo

DG

Gossip and Trollops

Dearest Jen,

I had to take a moment to think about what you were referring to. And then! Thanks to my latest In Touch magazine dirty-guilt-inducing splurge, I had an A-Ha moment. This couple, Penn and Blake, are in this Gossip Girl show, right? I feel so with-it to have known just that.

Sadly, The Doctor and I don't have a T.V. I mean, does this really surprise you? It goes along with our lefty-alterna-couple vibe, no? Actually, no!

Don't get us wrong...

We don't have a T.V. for some lame reason like wanting to make a firm statement against commercialism, reality television shows and the general downward spiral of American Society -- no! Actually, it's because we're totally addicted to television!

You should see us when we're traveling on JetBlue. Our faces are about 2 inches from the television as we greedily digest all the moronic T.V. shows available to us. Of course, I especially like to keep updated with The Hills and all the gossip between Lauren Conrad ($75K/episode), Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag ($65K/episode). Did you get a load of her new music video? Apparently a web server crashed the other day because so many people were trying to view it at the same time.

Ew, okay, I think my brain just rotted from writing this post. Off to continue my cleanse and detox. Today, I'm going to focus on eating copious amounts of fruit, vegetables and probiotics. I mean, wine and coffee are totally okay with a detox, right?

I'll update you on all my bowel movements tomorrow, dear friend!

Love,
Shit-Friendly Sue

Gossip Girl Grief

Sue,

I can't remember if you even own a TV or not, so my current state of total devastation might mean nothing to you. But please, just give me a moment to indulge in my Gossip Girl grief.

I have been living here in the UK for almost nine months now (Biological Clock! I order you to cease and desist! Do NOT think about what else could have been happening in that amount of time!) and there are a lot of things I like about being here. For example:

London...

• is not disgustingly sweltering in the summer.
  
• is home to Colossus, the Trainer of Dreams (seriously you should feel my butt these days).
  
• is a 90-minute flight to the Hofbrauhaus.
  
• contains more Nutella per capita than anywhere else in the world.*
  

However, London has one ghastly fault:

London, tease that she is, does not air Gossip Girl when the US does. She airs it, alright, but - later. An unspecified amount of time later.

Thus the reason for my dark pashmina of mourning today. As season two of GG airs in the States, I will be - well, technically, I will be asleep, but also - praying for a swift deliverance of "series two" (as they dub it here) to the British airwaves.

What's the big deal, you ask? Let me break it down for you, oh unenlightened one:

Gossip Girl...

• is fashionista porn!
  
• is mayjah dramz!
  
• is metrosexual eye candy!
  
• is camptastic!
  

I am not exaggerating when I say that it was the highlight of my spring when, in one of her scenes last season, Georgina (evil bitch that she was) carried the same bag The Lawyer bought me for our anniversary. I have rarely felt so fashionable. And downright awesome.

So Sue, if you do have a TV, please tune in for me. Gals everywhere, reap every morsel of enjoyment out of the second seasoning.

You know you love me.

XOXO

DomestiGirl

*Ok, made that one up. But it sure feels true when you've outlawed Nutella until your honeymoon!

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!

Breaking News from Londontown!

Sue,

So this weekend has the potential for true momentousness, as I JUST found out!

The Lawyer and I are running the Nike+ Human Race in London this weekend - an amazing race that is happening on Sunday in cities and countries all over the world. Apparently there are like a million people running. (Any other gals out there running this one?) So cool.

What's cooler? Wayne Rooney is running it too! Yes! Mr. Coleen McLoughlin of the Marchesa Wedding Dress of Dreams will be at Wembley with us on Sunday!

Remember that dress? That spectacular, amazing, gorgeous concoction of a wedding gown that she wore in June? Here's a refresher:

Photo courtesy of coleen-mcloughlin.net

Sigh. Heavenly.

Of course, while everyone else in the stadium (including The Lawyer) is keeping their eyes peeled for Wayne, I will be on the lookout for Coleen. I mean she seems like a fit gal - or WAG, as they call her on this side of the pond - she should be running too, right?

I will keep you posted. Obv. Have a great weekend!

xoxo

DG

P.S. Would love to hear other thoughts about that dress from you gals in the blogosphere! I mean I could never pull it off in reality, but I think she totally did, and I also think the dress itself is a gorgeous piece of high fashion. Thoughts? (Because I already know it makes Sue throw up a little in her mouth.)

Babies! Babies Walking and Babies Crawling!

Dear Domestic Goddess Jen,

We both have babies on the brain today!

You see, sometimes I can be sensitive. (If one considers talking about babies walking and babies crawling to be "sensitive"). I was just out shopping for baby gifts for something special for my lil' friend, Jane.

Jane is maybe the cutest baby ever! (Aside from my future children, and perhaps yours, of course). She's only 13 months, but I've seen her once a week ever since she was a couple of days old. She's calling everyone "mama" recently, is waving to strangers like she's the NYC Welcoming Committee, and has this funky tripedal walk where she uses both hands and then one foot and the other knee in order to get from one place to another.

Jane's such a cute little turkey!

Then, of course, last weekend I was at a work function with The Doctor and all of his fellow pediatric buddies. There must have been about 10 different babies there, and each one was more delicious than the next one. I got to hold a 7 month old 15 pound pork chop for about 2 hours and really, really, really wanted to steal him at the end of the night.

Okay, bleh, enough.

I was just wondering if any of our DomestiGals out there are pregnant and about to pop? Or, do you already have your own little Welcoming Committee?

Better yet, don't you want to see pictures of everybody's little dumpling? Let's just turn on the Brag Alert and let everyone post babies of their favorite babies ever!

Love,

Domestic Partner Sue (whose biological clock has temporarily been kidnapped by Domestic Goddess Jen!)

The Colossal Spawn

Sue,

I am embarrassed to admit this. I cannot even believe I have forgotten to tell you.

So The Lawyer and I have been working out with our trainer, Colossus, twice a week for about three months now. Have I mentioned I can now dead-lift one hundred and forty three pounds?! Hot, right?

Anyway, so we are both totally smitten with our trainer - not only has he transformed our bods, but he is just a great guy - and last week before our session, The Lawyer and I went on a very special shopping trip... because Colossus is having a baby! 

Yes, that's right. His girlfriend is about to pop out the Colossal Spawn. A baby boy, which is obviously just perfect. A little mini weightlifting machine! They just picked out a name, which I will keep from the blogosphere but let me just say it is a total gladiator name, which is genius. I seriously cannot wait to meet this little dude.

Plus, the Colossal Spawn gave us (me) the perfect excuse to shop at my FAVE store here in the UK, Cath Kidston. Wanna see what we got him? Prepare for your biological clock to be assaulted:

Image courtesy of Cath Kidston

It's a little cowboy dining set! Complete with sippy cup, spoon, and bowl with a suction cup to keep it on the table. We thought the cowboy theme was unabashedly American, perfect for our gift to Colossus and Spawn. (Plus, they didn't have a Gladiator/Barbarian pattern - cowboys are as macho as Cath gets.) Apparently the little (big) guy already has a closet full of clothes, so we wanted to get them something useful. 

Except, we couldn't resist this:

Image courtesy of Cath Kidston

Yes, those are cowboys and covered wagons. I mean. Do you love it or do you LOVE it? 

All I can say is, I hope Cath is still making this pattern when I'm preggo with a boy. Sigh. Until then, at least we have the Colossal Spawn to spoil.

Ok, must go tame the biological clock.

xoxo,

DG

Wedding Day Channel Bliss...

Seriously?

No, seriously DomestiGal Jen? You put your finger ON THE REMOTE when The Lawyer walked in? Uh-huh.

By the way, did you purchase a vibrator yet? If so, please let me know ASAP which one you bought! I can't wait to hear how it goes with you and The Lawyer.

Or are you waiting to save the toys until the honeymoon?

Onto the topic at hand... I, too, love watching wedding shows. I know, I hope you didn't just poop in your pants with shock. Admittedly, I haven't watched any of these shows in the last 5 years, but back when I had a TV, I would watch TLC's The Wedding Story. I may or may not have cried hysterically every time the bride walked down the aisle and saw her husband-to-be for the first time.

Jen -- how am I ever going to preside over your wedding ceremony without crying? Oh, by the way, when you finally get engaged, are you going to put a picture of me as your yenta on your Knot wedding site as the reason you met? If so, I'd like to know two weeks in advance so that I can schedule a facial. Thanks.

Vainly yours,

Sobbing Sue

My Lost Televirginity

Nosy Sue INDEED,

Really? Could you not have left the vibe talk offline? (Rhetorical question, I know.)

And you are probably trying to scandalize me by pulling the one-two punch of vibrators and re-virginization in the same post, but I shall not be overcome by my blushing cheeks! Instead I will simply answer your question: no.

I'm actually glad you mentioned virginity because it reminded me that I actually have a confession. The Lawyer walked in on me doing something very naughty yesterday. I had been resisting this ultimate temptation for months, but yesterday I finally caved. What caused my weakness? Was it Phelps torso withdrawal? Or Hofbrauhaus-related alcohol and carb detox? Alas, I cannot put a finger on it - but I did put my finger on something else.

The remote control.

Sue, I must confess I have lost my virginity. My Wedding TV cherry has been popped.

Ack! And then The Lawyer walked in on me! He came home just as I was finishing the second of two back-to-back episodes of my new favorite show (since all my real faves don't air here, which is a tragedy to discuss another day), "Real Weddings from The Knot." I was just about to see how the Andersons pulled off a backyard wedding for EIGHT HUNDRED people! Alas, The Lawyer caught me red (and ringless) handed.

I also became acquainted with the Bumsteads who, frankly, put re-virgins to shame. They were virgins when they got married! Yikesaroo! Though I must admit even though that idea has given me the heebie-jeebies in the past, there was something rather endearing about these two. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with their last name.

And now I just scandalized myself a little.

OK, Domestic Goddess signing off.

xoxo

Oh, and P.S. How excited are we about BlogDay?! What a great way to spread good blogging karma throughout the interwebs!

Re-Virginization

Sigh.

Domestic Goddess Jen, I *hate* when you yell at me offline and tell me to talk about something other than vibrators! Sometimes, I swear, you can be so dull!

But, I do have one question.

When you and The Lawyer are finally engaged, are you going to do what those other darling damsels do and NOT HAVE SEX until you get married? You know, those people who "Re-Virginize" themselves until their wedding night?

I'm sorry, but I had to ask.

Did anyone else in our DomestiGals community choose to take a break from sex until getting married?

Love,

Nosy Sue

My Ancestral Awakening (Don't Tell Colossus!)

Fraulein Sue,

I have had an ancestral awakening. I have never been so proud of the fact that my last name ends in two - not one, but TWO - "n"'s. For real. I feel connected to my German heritage for the first time since being forced to act excited about it for "Ethnicity Day" in fourth grade.

Let me explain.

The BF and I needed to leave the country so I could come back in and validate my student visa. The perfect excuse for a Munich mini-break, no?

Mind you, I was not particularly interested in going to Germany. I had never been that enthused about my German roots. The language gets caught in your throat, the people seem a bit harsh and overly brawny, and the beer-guzzling is so not conducive to looking hot in a wedding dress. But seeing as we are only a two-hour jetlagless flight away from my ancestral home, there was really no excuse.

I have no idea where in Germany my family is actually from, but I have hereby embraced Munich as the land of my forefathers. What a great town! 

The glockenspiel! 

Underwhelming and overrated, yet nevertheless endearing!

The dirndls! 

I am set for slutty - I mean, traditional - Halloween costumes for life!

The weisswursts! 

I was in hog heaven (literally). 

Also? My new obsession now that the Olympics are over: Hofbrauhaus. Beers and pretzels as big as your head. Definitely not Colossus-sanctioned but a to the mazing. Not to mention the effortlessly fabulosity-oozing locals:

I am desperately hoping this man is my long-lost great-uncle.

My new affinity for my native culture does not mean we will be giving away beer steins as wedding favors, nor will the dress code be changed to "Lederhosen Chic." But still. I am thrilled to have discovered that I do feel connected to my beer-guzzling, big-boned ethnic roots after all.

Auf Wiedersehen,

Fraulein Jen

A Michael Moment

Sigh. Just - sigh...

Fabulous cover shot courtesy of Sports Illustrated and - in poster size! - Fine Art Limited

Ah yes, now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Sue, please do not bring poor, sweet, innocent, Alltime Olympian Michael Phelps into your discussions about sex toys. Until they make one in his likeness, that is.

Also, is it me or is he not wearing pants in this photo? AMAZING. Maybe I should order one of these posters for my dorm room?

(Yes, you heard me correctly: dorm room. But that's fodder for another post... especially since I'm still in denial about the fact that I will be sharing a kitchen with my fellow nerdy grad students in less than a month! Ack!)

Love,

Jen

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

Who is the Smokingest Olympic Hottie?

Dear Sue,

This is rather a sad day, no? The Olympics are ending, which means it will be four more looong years before we are once again able to so easily gaze upon the vast torso of Michael Phelps. Sigh.

Indeed, the only thing bringing me comfort and solace today is anticipating the improvements in television technology - I mean HD is so great, imagine how crisp the swimmers' abs will be in four years! That, and the fact that I will finally be able to get a full night's sleep again. Are you as Olympically sleep-deprived as I am?

Before we bid the games a final adieu, I would like to ask you and our fabulous readers a very important question:

Who is the smokingest of the Olympic hotties?

For your consideration, I obviously must submit Michael Phelps. While he may not be classically handsome, he is humble, well-spoken, and an overall cutie patootie.

But I must also nominate Ryan Lochte (next to Phelps up there) for our Smokingest Olympic Hottie Award (or SOHA, obv). 

I also think that other guy with the bare chest should be considered (sorry, Unisuit Guy, but we can't include everyone).

I'm not sure who else has been generating hottie buzz in the US, but here in the UK there are these two hunky rowers who are bringing bling back to Britain, Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase:

Who else are we feelin', ladies? Or has Michael Phelps just swum away with all of our hearts? Who will bring home the SOHA?

Sue, eager to hear your thoughts. Gals, leave your votes in our comments section! 

Adieu,

Jen

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

DomestiGals Heart... In the Heights!

My darling DP,

Inspiration takes on many forms. For you, it may be a good, comprehensive poop. For me, it may be an airplane seat bedecked in my potential wedding color palette.

But not everything in my life centers around my wedding plans (well, not directly anyway). Today I'd like to give a DomestiGals Heart Shout-Out to the blessed soundtrack that got me to, and through, the gym today.

You think it would have been a cinch to get my butt off the couch and over to the gym - I mean, my nuptials are only like just under 13 months away! - but today I needed something else to get me going. What finally got me to throw on my sneaks was remembering I had the "In the Heights" soundtrack on my iPod.

Not that I've seen the show. My mom saw it, though, and loved it. Oh, and it won like an effload of Tonys too. Mom and I popped in the soundtrack as were driving to Chicago to get my student visa in July, and I was hooked! I listened with rapture and read the plot synopsis and lyrics along with the music, and by the finale I had tears streaming down my face. I haven't been this into a musical since "Wicked" and before that "Rent" (obv). The music is so intricate, I hear something different every time. I am counting down the days until the BF and I are back in NYC and can see the show for ourselves. And I'm already stockpiling Kleenex for the occasion.

Gives me chills just thinking about it. I got chills while running on the treadmill today!

Have a listen:

And watch the genius of the show's writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, as he accepted his Tony:

I mean. Do you love it or do you LOVE it? Pass me the tissues.

xo

DG

This is about YOU, Sue.

Oh Sue,

I do not even know where to start with you.

First of all, please tell me you only forgot to blog about your anniversary, but that you did in fact remember to celebrate it with your beloved. And if you did forget to wish him a happy anniversary, I don't want to know. I mean I have been planning The Lawyer's second anniversary present since, like, the week before our first. But this is not about me.

Also, you got the correct season and year of our wedding, but the wrong month, my dear. Not that I am prepared to spill our actual date into the blogosphere, as I fear the sans-ring-jinx-potential, but I just want to make sure you are properly preggo at the right time.

Aha! Bet you thought the vision of you with The Good Doctor's spawn in your womb and no wedding ring on your finger presiding over my dream nuptials would scandalize me! Alas, no.

What is slightly unnerving, however, is that it seems you and Jewish George are starting to veer in quite different directions when it comes to turning the DP into a big M. I thought you were both cool with being in a post office worker-sanctioned Domestic Partnership. I mean, you're like my token alternafriend. All my other friends are or want to get married. I need someone in my life who adds a little diversity (and I don't just mean your half-Asian hotness).

But this is not about me. I just want to make sure that you are continuing to be true to yourfabself and that the lines of communication between you and Save-the-Children-Man are open and functioning as efficiently as Michael Phelps' freestyle.

I have enough things in my life to worry about right now, from starting my MBA to picking out wedding favors. Please do not add to the load.

(Not that this is about me.)

Love to you,

Jen

Oops! Our anniversary!

Dear Jen,

Thank goodness for our DomestiGals' community; without them, you'd be lost for advice. As you well know, I would rather have severe diarrhea than talk about wedding rings. Or engagement rings. Or, well, anything related to ceremonies in general. That said, I applaud and encourage you finding your support system with these other DomestiGal Divas!

So, ahem.

The other day, I may or may not have forgotten to blog about the fact that it was me and The Doctor's anniversary. Our 2 year anniversary! And he was so sweet when he got back to our 5th floor cockroach-free walk-up from his trip to California. The second he walked in the door, he goes, "Sweetie! My darling wife. I want you to be my wife, don't you want to get married?"

My Domestic Partner response? Surely you can guess what it was. Well, I ignored him of course.

It was 2:30am for Michael Phelps' sake!

This is, sadly, the 3rd conversation we've had in a week about whether or not we should get married. He brought it up before he left for the West Coast, and the conversation went as follows:

Handsome, dashing Doctor: "Sue, do you want to get married? I was talking to my mom about it today."
Slutty Sue: (No reponse.)
Wonderful, save-the-dying-children-in-the-ER Doctor: "I mean, you must want to get married, right?"
Sue: "Sweetie, are you projecting again? I'm really fine the way things are as Domestic Partners. I thought we discussed that we didn't want to rush things."

Then, the conversation at tonight's dinner:

Jewish George Clooney: "I am really enjoying wearing my ring on my wedding finger. Have you tried it out yet?"
Shlossed Sue: "I love the way things are. I figure we can stay Domestic Partners for a while, see how we feel, and then maybe consider getting rings. And see how we feel."
JGC: "But what about when we have kids?!"
S.S.: "Then we can see how we feel with kids."
JGC: "Don't you want to marry me? I promise we won't even have to get engaged -- I know you don't want an engagement. But I was thinking I want a platinum wedding ring. What do you want?"

Obviously at this point I promptly asked for the check, paid it, and then raced home so that we could snog. (That is what you people say in England, isn't it?)

Darling, Jen. Do you think that instead of having my coochie snorcher examined by your fine English vaginal doctor, I could have my brain evaluated?

Please advise.

I mean, now that Ellen and Portia de Rossi are married, does that mean that I have to get married as well???

i.dailymail.co.uk

I wanted to be the knocked up, unmarried minister presiding over your October 2009 wedding!

Already dreaming about the oversized (cheese) balls,

Sue

Engagement Ring Feedback Required

Sue,

Big engagement news! No, not mine. It may still be in the wee hours of the morning over there in NYC, but rest assured if The Lawyer had popped the question with the Ring of Dreams, you would have heard my shrieks of joy from here.

But big news nonetheless: a fellow lady of leisure friend here in London just got engaged to her beau! Very exciting. They are currently away on vacay in a romantical location perfect for question-popping, so I will have to wait to hear all the details. The Lawyer and I have very different guesses about her ring - and in fact we took a bet on what it looks like. Questions abound. Did he surprise her, or had they discussed what she wanted? Trendy or classic? Mayjah bling or refined rock? Super-sparkly (i.e. round brilliant or cushion cut) or geometric elegance (i.e. emerald or asscher cut)?

Seeing as you have um, undeveloped taste in nice jewelry, Sue, I thought I would pose a couple of questions to our readers. 

Gals out there in the blogosphere! It is time to let your blingpinions be heard!

For those of you DomestiGals who are happily engaged or married, take a lingering look at the rock on your finger and tell us: how much say did you have in its selection? Did you decide to aim for current trends (micropavé, vintage/retro, non-traditional center stone, etc.) or stick with a timeless design (round solitaire)? 

For those of you Domestic Divas who are dating, dominating, and maybe thinking about your own Ring of Dreams: how much do you want to participate in the engagement ring search? Do you already know what you want or will you leave it up to your man? If you had to choose, what would be your Ring of Dreams?

Please, ladies, share your thoughts. We all know Sue is just not up for this sort of dialogue, and my friend's engagement has me going girly-girl ring crazy over here!

xoxo,

Jen