The 40licious Bride: Part II

I'm a very practical person, which is handy, because I am also a very environmentally conscious person. Most of the stuff I have has been either gifted, found, traded, or ThriftScored.

We're trying to be as sustainable as possible with our wedding. For the most part, that's easy. We've chosen a local caterer who uses fresh seasonal foods that don't have to be hauled in from far away places like Chile. The wine is from the very terra on which we will marry. The plates and napkins were foraged from Goodwill -- they're beautiful and Holly can use them again for other weddings. All flowers are beautiful and I don't care what they are, as long as they're seasonal and will last two days. I was forced to compromise a little on the dress though. I tried on dresses my friends offered to lend and they weren't quite right. I scoured Craigslist and jeez, there's a reason people are trying to get rid of some of those dresses: think Laura Ingalls Wilder Prom from Hell. I found one I loved, it was a great deal, and they sent my order off to some third-world country where I'm sure there's a tiny child stitching the flower on the ribbon right this very second.

Like any self-respecting 40licious woman who has taken the scenic route to her first wedding, I am feeling a great deal of deservedness. The other day I had an hour to kill on Melrose. So I thought I'd skip into my favorite shoe store, John Fluevog. He's one of those designers who upends my rational thought around money and resources.

And then I saw them. The most beautiful shoes in the world. The shoes I must have in order to be perfect as I walk down a grassy path through an apple orchard to my groom. They're a light suede. They are uncomfortably expensive. And I might get horse poop on them.

No matter. In the lifelong pursuit of beauty and truth, and this is just a small victory.

The 40licious Bride

This dress was a contender. Didn't make the cut though!

You see these shows where the women are going berzerk, barking orders, throwing tantrums around their wedding. I must have passed that phase. I am also old enough to reject things that don't mean anything and make up ceremony that does.

Wedding planning at 40licious seems organized and lovely and, well, FUN. We're lining up everything as it comes, and counting the RSVPs each day.

At first, I wondered if we just shouldn't elope. Take the money and flee to Ireland for a while, or put it toward a house near the beach. But now I'm realizing that never, ever again will we have this same unique collection of people who mean so much to us all in the same place at the same time. I have a lot of mothers in my life -- Mom, Holly (my dad's partner), my Aunt Corky, Trina -- and another on the way, Steve's mom, who couldn't be kinder. To have them  in one place is mind-blowing for me. Not to mention all my new and old friends, Steve's friends, our families ... just thinking about it makes my heart bust.

Wines from Spain

My story on Bazaar by Jose Andres is in Wines from Spain magazine. It's a magical place and has informed my design sensibility going forward. I love it there. Need to go back!!!

Wisdom of Dogs

There are so many, many things to write about. Impending nuptials. Another stellar year of camping on the Kern. Our scouting trip to Oregon, which was fun AND productive. What it's like to be a creative person in a corporate suck-up job. But no, today I will write about dogs and the metaphor.

Cinco is our new addition. A charming Chihuahua who is equal parts love and trouble. The tally so far of things he's destroyed: Two harnesses, two pillows, a leash, a nice leather flip flop, a dog bed, a BlackBerry charger and a rather pricey dog carrier that's supposed to be dog-proof (but it did get him there and back on the plane to Portland).

He was dreamy good on the plane ride, and in Oregon, tumbled about the farm with Holly's mutts, Trouble, a sweet ol' pit bull, and Gemini, who is a yellow lab kind of dog.

At home, he needs constant surveillance. He and Lucy have this odd ritual of switching food bowls in the middle of feeding, which usually means somebody doesn't get a full lunch or breakfast, as Cinco has a tiny bowl and Lucy's is regular.

So tonight, when we returned from a walk, I pulled out a baggie of food to put a little in their bowls. It scattered about the entire kitchen floor, due to a hole that had been chewed in the corner. And the dogs set about cleaning it up, each one moving around like a furry hoover. Dog bowl problem solved. Bring on the next one.