You stole my thunder!

This is gonna sound so dumb, but bear with me!

I feel like when we get engaged it's going to be perceived as less special because EVERYONE ELSE IS GETTING ENGAGED. I think there have been 4 engagements these past two months on top of the 15 other engagements from earlier in the year. I'm happy for everyone, of course, but my happiness is slowly turning into anxiety.

The anxiety isn't "when am I gonna get engaged?" because I know it's coming soon (we went to a wedding on Saturday and spent a good portion of the reception planning our own wedding) but more of "are we just gonna be ANOTHER engagement?" And also, "how are we gonna find a wedding date that doesn't interfere with everyone else's?"

I guess a lot of this turmoil comes from my own sense of self-importance...like, everyone should stop what they're doing and bask in the fact that we're engaged! But really? I know that people will be happy for us and do what they can to make it to the wedding, no matter when it is. I just really want to make sure that certain friends are able to make it and don't have to make a choice about whose wedding to go to. I'm hoping that it's an easy choice if it's a choice at all! It's sad how my selfishness is evident even BEFORE I start planning a wedding.

Speaking of thunder-stealing...W and I have talked at length about elements we would want in our wedding (thankfully we agree on a lot of things!), even to the point of setting a date...but I can't really talk about everything publicly because he doesn't want to steal thunder from the actual engagement. Good man! He knows that I could talk about the wedding hypothetically for hours, but this way it makes it our little secret. Plus he knows that I want it to be a big deal when we get engaged. Maybe he secretly wants it too. =D

On a separate note, I've had several dreams where W proposed to me. So far I haven't been happy with any of them...I specifically remember saying yes but feeling disappointed in the way he asked. I'm afraid that in my mind I've hyped it up so much that I won't enjoy the moment when it comes! Man...my control freak tendencies better not ruin this. I guess I should dispel my expectations (including the one where I cry buckets of joyful tears) so that when it comes I can just be happy. I'm pretty sure that won't be too hard though- W is pretty incredible. =)

pretty dresses!

I'll confess- I try my hardest to be unique. As much as I like going with the flow, I always want to be different. Not in an odd, off-kilter way, but in a way that makes me distinctive. This might be the result of being one of four children. I'm definitely not complaining though. =)

Anyway, one thing that I had qualms with in wedding planning is that it's hard to find unique bridesmaid dresses. I know that's not the focus of the wedding, but I care a lot about what my bridesmaids wear. I feel like it's one of the many ways that I can care for my girls as a way to thank them for caring for me through all these years. I've threatened them with bright orange taffeta dresses, but really? I want something they can breathe in- no girdles, please. I want something elegant but not prom-dress formal. I want something that highlights how beautiful all of my bridesmaids are AND shows my taste.

I went shopping last week for a dress for a wedding and found a dress by Maggy London. It was a surprising find because it was cute, age-appropriate, and very comfortable. After buying it I decided to look up the designer, and I found a bunch of dresses that I loved (and would totally wear!) Apparently on Nordstrom.com you can search under different occasions/events and see what they deem as "Bridesmaid" dresses. They have wedding dresses, too, but I wasn't super thrilled about them. Regardless, I was glad to have another option available other than David's Bridal. We'll see what I end up choosing, but I'm really relieved that I have choices!

Win the In-Laws Cake

My parents came to Boston for a short weekend trip and they stayed with my future in-laws. Whoops, *potential* future in-laws. :)

This wasn't their first time meeting (last time they spent time together our moms really hit it off) but I still wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly. I spent a whole week researching places to go to give them the quintessential New England experience and then realized that as long as the food was good we'd be set.

I couldn't control the weather but I COULD make a baked good. I figured that I could kill three birds with one stone (or cake, rather): have something for my parents to eat for breakfast, something for my boyfriend to enjoy, and something to impress my potential future in-laws. Luckily I had the perfect cake in mind.

The Apple Ring Coffee Cake.

This cake is special. A few years back my boyfriend went to a small group potluck while I was studying. Someone from his group made this coffee cake for dessert, and he liked it so much that he brought a piece back for me.

I'm a sucker for thoughtfulness. My boyfriend is one of the most thoughtful people I know and the cake totally epitomizes that. As an added bonus, my parents and my PFILs liked it. So much, in fact, that my PFMIL asked for the recipe. Never underestimate the power of baked goods.

The recipe is fairly easy, so I thought I'd share it with y'all. Thanks to JM for sharing the recipe.

Apple Ring Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
2 cups peeled, chopped tart apples
Powdered sugar, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 10 inch tube pan; set aside.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into large
bowl. Stir in walnuts. Combine granulated sugar, oil, eggs, and
vanilla in medium bowl. Stir in apples. Stir into flour mixture just
until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
3. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes
out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from
pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cake.

Enjoy!