Yeah Neil, I know. You don't need to tell me.
Been super busy with work. Finally was able to get a couple days off. Feel like life is passing me by sometimes. Need to be reminded every now and again to enjoy it.

problemas de gato de primer mundo

I was going to surprise Neil with a new blog post and blow his mind once he clicked the link to notice a new entry in almost a year. I couldn't contain myself.

It is always a treat to pet sit for Neil and Megan. I promise I don't wear his clothes and wax my mustache with his wax while he's away. That would be weird. I do get to pretend that Murphy needs my companionship though. It usually lasts for a few minutes before he starts drawing blood in a change of heart.

I was in a photo capture type of mood on this day, so I brought my camera along for the adventure. Murphy doesn't sing when Megan's not around either– major let down. First world cat problems. Also some photo's of our new house we are now residing in, as well as some derp worthy shots of mi gatos. So, here is the drop.

Past, present and future 10.22.11

So, a few weeks back, Mary and I got married in Carmel, at The Holly Farm. This place was a dream come true. We knew once we visited the farm and met the Moses family last September, that this was where we wanted our union to take place. We were not let down. This was an amazing place that accommodated everything we could have asked for.

The biggest upside was being able to have an extended stay onsite with our family and close friends. The last thing we wanted, was to be rushed in and out during one of the most monumental times of our lives. Cannot say enough about the Holly farm, as well as our Officient, Ken Robbins; which orchestrated a beautiful ceremony that made the day that much more special.

Once the official photos are processed for us by Heather Elizabeth Photography, I'll post again. Heather was great, and we cannot wait to see what she has conjured up for us. Her portfolio is pretty strong and she was great to work with. Check her work out.

Here are some photos I took with my camera while not stressing out and feeling overwhelmed on Saturday, as well as the next couple of days. Here is a link to the remainder uploaded on my Flickr page.

After the wedding, we tried to relax as much as possible while soaking up the beautiful weather in Carmel for the next two days.

After Mary and I left the farm, we headed down the CA 1 for a scenic drive to Santa Barbara which ended up being pretty long, albeit still scenic.

We checked out some nice eateries in SB and took in the SB Museum of art before trekking back to San Diego to unwind before entering back into our parallel reality.

lights out

Thursday, San Diego and much of the south west seemed to have lost access to power. Supposedly, an honest mistake made by one guy. Pretty significant outage, affecting over 1.5 million people for about 9 hours; at least where I was.

The outage, while not immediately life threatening, did give us a bit of a wake-up call. We had no idea when the power would come back on. We weren't immediately shaken, but the question of whether we would be prepared for a prolonged outage was settling in.

We cruised over to the Farmers market by where we live to grab something to eat for the evening. A farmers market is PERFECT for power outages. They were selling out left and right. What an awesome boost for those guys. We grabbed some goods, got home and BBQ'd by lantern light.

We played board games and actually interacted. It was pleasant. Although, still having a wax mess to deal with from all the candles isn't as inspiring.

Heres a photo of a candle casualty, blown out just after the power resumed around midnight here.

The other day, I finished designing and printing out the hang tags for our wedding favors. We had to source more matching card stock in Carlsbad. Mary and I also had to come to terms with how I envisioned the tag design. She was correct with her assessment and critique. We agreed this version looked more cohesive.

The wedding is not far away now. We are still trying to tie some loose ends. I feel things are coming together. Here's to a fun time to be had!

Be there with bells on.

SO....

I asked Mary to Marry me last year. Once you make that kind of commitment, you are also obligated to have a ceremony. We initially had some ideas that didn't pan out. In time, we got closer to what we thought would make for a pretty good time. We made some decisions here and there, and still have a few more to sort out.

We are holding the festivities in Carmel, Ca., at an awesome venue called, The Holly Farm. We are excited and cannot wait to check in. Here's to hoping for a fun and memorable experience for everyone involved.

I knew one thing off the bat; I wanted to design the invites. Figured I have a bit of know-how and we would potentially save a bit of money in the process. I made a few mock-ups and came up with what I am presenting here. Mary definitely helped with the creative process. She is so cutesy with her approach. So here are some photo's I took just before sending out the invites this afternoon! (GASP). So, it is official—no turning back now, the invites are on their way into the hands of the invitees. Well, most of them anyway. < Shameless Plug >Also, anyone interested in getting any design work done, I am available—Got a wedding to pay for. < / Shameless Plug >