Japan, day 1

We've been here in Japan for over a week now, and have been super busy!  Our itinerary has been jam packed with sight seeing and travel.



We arrived here on the 12th at around 6:30 pm, picked up our wifi device that we are renting while here, and then got on the train with my aunt, Hitto, and headed to her place.  We dropped off our bags, and went straight to dinner--yakiniku!  Basically, we sat at a table that had a grill in the center, ordered raw meats and veggies, and cooked them on the grill to our liking.  Delish!

Waiting for the train.

The yum.

Making lettuce wraps:)

My uncle

The next day, we traveled via shinkansen (bullet train) to Osaka.  We had originally planned on going to a different city and then hitting Osaka for a night on the town, but since we got a little bit of a later start, we just went straight to Osaka.  We went out to Dotonbori in search of delicious food...we weren't disappointed!  We had some takoyaki on the street, took lots of pictures, and then went in search of okonomiyaki:)  We found some yakitori and beers on the way...

Beers!

Yakitori

Happy boy!

Finally!  Okonomiyaki!  

So good:)

Happy girl:)

oh. and I found a dragon by our hostel:)

We stayed in a cool little hostel and fell into food comas soon after getting back:)  That was our first day in a nutshell!

Just a few more days!

The past week has been pretty busy.  I finished up my rotation today, prepped for interviews tomorrow, and will be leaving for our one month trip to Japan on Sunday morning!  So excited!  We have two weeks on the main land, then the rest of our trip will be in Okinawa and Kumejima.  Here is what our trip looks like (only the dark blue).



View Japan in a larger map


We still have lots to do.  We haven't even packed yet!  I'll have to start shoving things into a bag tomorrow and Saturday.  I DID get a new pack, though, which I'm pretty excited about.

ANYWAY, I'm really really really looking forward to this trip.  I will definitely try to blog about the experience while we're there!

PS...THIS is an amazing blog...and we might actually run into these guys in Kyoto!  Cool;)

Too many guests...The fix to your dilemma.

On a tight wedding budget, but unsure of how to cut your guest list down to a reasonable number?  Let me help you.  Just keep in mind that while you may still have to invite the same number of people, these easy strategies should decrease the number of expected guests considerably.  Also, be forewarned that not all of these (or any) are very nice.  Let's just assume you're desperate:

• Have you wedding outdoors, in the spring.  This is probably the best way to eliminate the largest proportion of guests, as allergies will be at their highest levels.  Make it extra special by having it in the middle of a field of grass, in Eugene, Oregon.

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• Don't want kids there?  Advertise special entertainment of clowns and math homework for those under 21.

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• The double whammy:  Don't serve alcohol.  This will not only cut costs dramatically, but also discourage alcoholics, freeloaders, and completely crazy people from coming.  The smart ones will just sneak their own in.

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• Include some craziness in the ceremony.  Make people exercise during your 4 hour ceremony, include a nutty scientologist to marry you, etc.  You get the idea.  Use this one with caution though--there are people (like myself) who may actually find this intriguing--more intriguing than your boring wedding, and will come for this reason alone.

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• Make your wedding a potluck wedding, but also require quests to sign up to bring elaborate dishes. 

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• Register for ridiculous and expensive things that you will never use.  I think most people do this already.  Seriously--do you really need 3 deviled egg trays? Do you really even need 1 at $29.99 each?

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*These suggestions were compiled in a Gtalk chat session with the soon-to-be-wed Seyoung, and were meant mostly as a joke--please do not take offense to any of them as they were made in fun:)

BzzAgent Review--The Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookie

So as a BzzAgent, I get to try products.  I thought it would be fair to start sharing them here.

Recently, I was able to try Kroger's "The Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookie" for free.  Yep.  They sent me two boxes of cookies right to my door.  What a tough life.  Thank goodness I'm not on a "wedding diet" anymore (what wedding diet), eh?  Anyways, here's what I thought:

I'd like to start by saying I'm not a fan of crunchy cookies.  Put more fat in them, undercook them--do whatever you have to do...just make them chewy.  Besides not having a pleasant texture (my opinion on cookies), they get super messy!  With that said, I actually liked these cookies.  They were big and thick, and they had lots of chocolate chips in them.  I also really liked the flavor of the cookie itself, when I could taste it without an overwhelming chocolate flavor.

Now here's the part where I apologize.  I should have a picture here, but to be completely honest, we (the hubby and I) ate all of the cookies before I got a chance to take pictures.  Lame.  We don't usually have sweets in the house, and these were just too hard to resist.  Sorry!

Overall, I'd recommend these cookies to crunchy cookie lovers and even the soft cookie lovers--they're worth a try, and they're just as good as those big name brand cookies, but less spendy.  A less expensive, but just as good (in one flavor, anyways) alternative to the brand name? What?!  Yeah--it wouldn't take much to convince me to buy these.

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

I knew from the beginning of the wedding planning that I wanted to be accommodating to our guests as well as the folks in the wedding.  This was especially important to me and the hubby because we've been poor college students since...what seems like forever.  Many of our friends and family don't have to worry about this, but we do have friends who are just starting out, still in school, buying a new home, etc.  Picking things like attire for our bridesmaids/groomsmen, we wanted to be accommodating to budgets, and taste, as well as pick things that won't be a complete throw-away after the wedding (no one wants to spend hundreds of dollars for an ugly dress that will be thrown out after one night of use).

My solution for the girls:  mismatched dresses!  I love the look of this, as everyone looks their best, being able to pick out dresses that flatter their body type, and it can be a nice change from the normal identical attire.  I chose to go with shades of green.  See my post HERE for my instructions to the girls on dress specifications. 

I included my inspiration board designed at polyvore.com:

Here's how the girls did:

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I think they all did great:)  I have such pretty friends!

Bridesmaids gifts

So, being on a budget but also wanting to stay true to my theme, it was hard to find a gift that I thought could be useful and nice.  After much searching on Etsy (doesn't it always take a little longer on Etsy with all the sidetracking?), I found a cute makeup bag from Brighter Day.  Whitney, who owns the shop, was willing to do custom orders, does wonderful work, and was great to work with!  Here's her pictures of the final products:

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I liked the colors, the fact that Whitney used vintage lace, and that each one was different.  I ended up not only giving these to all 5 of my bridesmaids, but to the moms as well (My hubby's mom, my mom, and my step-mom), and my friend, Seyoung, who helped so much with my invitations and save the dates among other things (and who also just got engaged, btw!!!!).

Along with these, I included a thank you card, and a cute ivory oversized ring from my etsy shop, BumbleC:

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What did you get for your girls, and how did you decide what to get?

Gift ideas?

The hubby and I will be leaving in less than 4 weeks for Japan!  I’m so excited!  Not only that, but Thanksgiving is next week!  It’s going to be a good 4 weeks! 

Osaka!
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Anyways, since we’ll be visiting some friends and family in Japan, I’d love to take some “American” things to them.  They always send or bring us Japanese foods and gifts like furikake (rice seasoning), seaweed, candies, jingly phone straps/charms, etc.  What should I take to them?  Can you think of anything very “American” but that they wouldn’t have there?  Japan is becoming more and more westernized…this could be hard.  Plus, I would like to find things that won't completely put me over the weight limit for baggage.  Here’s what I’m thinking so far:

• nice chocolates (expensive in japan): Lindt, See's, etc.
• Wine/alcohols
• meats/cheeses
• jams/preserves
• coffee
• honey
• american snacks/dips
• Bacon Jam
• key chains
• shirts
• OSU beaver apparel (go Beavs!)

My Dress

My dress was made of a cotton lace, and inspired by the Jim Hjelm Blush style 1057.  Wendy of Ieie made it, and I was so happy with it.  Here it is, all pictures by the awesome Alice and Josh of MoscaPhoto:  *Click on the pictures to enlarge them*

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I loved my dress--if only I had an excuse to wear it again!

Venting

I think I’ve kind of avoided sharing some details of my personal life before today.  I’m ready to come clean.  So who am I?  I’m a pharmacy student, planning on graduating this coming June.  I think that’s my main identifier at this point since it’s what I spend the majority of my time on.

At this point in my schooling (my last year of pharmacy school), I’m on “rotations”, which means I spend 6 weeks at various sites (different floors of the hospitals, retail sites, etc.), each site having different expectations/time commitments.  Last rotation was a time suck, which is why I avoided blogging all together.  I just didn’t have the time or energy. 

Now that you know a little more about me, I feel ok complaining to you a little bit.  I get asked (a lot) why it takes so long to fill a prescription.  I guess it’s totally understandable to wonder this, as I did too until I spent time in a pharmacy.  It’s hard to comprehend all of the work that goes into filling a prescription.  Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just about counting pills, slapping on a label, and handing it over to you.  So what’s the problem?  I think the fact that I’m trained (will be a doctor of pharmacy) as a healthcare provider, but treated like an employee of McDonald’s and expected to hand over important medications within someone’s ridiculous time constraints is the problem. Since when did people start seeing their prescriptions an unimportant part of the healthcare system?  I don’t really think people do, but think about what you’re asking when you go to the pharmacy and demand that your prescription for Viagra be filled immediately because you don’t have the time to wait around.   Wouldn’t you rather wait an extra 10 minutes to make sure that your pharmacist is making sure that your prescription isn’t interacting with new medications, or that you’ve gotten the right prescription from the doctor?  Believe it or not, doctors make mistakes all the time.  We catch them and tell you it will be another few minutes as we try to get a hold of your doctor to fix the error—but we’re the bad guys.  Your insurance won’t approve the payment of your medications so we call them and are shuffled around to 3 different service representatives so you don’t have to worry about the expense—but we’re the bad guys. 

I could go on and on, but I think the problem lies in our society’s views of what a pharmacy is, and the lack of accountability most patients have or feel in their health.   If you’re tired of waiting for your prescription to be filled, here are some steps to save you some time:

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1.   Call in your prescription ahead of time.  Don’t wait until you are completely out of your prescription.  I recommend calling a week before you run out, especially if you are out of refills (see #2).  The number of the pharmacy is on the bottle, as well as the prescription number.  Pretty much all pharmacies now have automated services that allow you to reorder your prescription 24 hours a day. Take advantage of it!
2. Check your prescription to see if you have any refills left.  It says right on the bottle.  If you don’t know where to look, call the pharmacy, and they can tell you.  If it says “0”, definitely call the pharmacy ahead of time (see #1).  Sometimes it takes several days to get a hold of the prescriber for a refill—and sometimes they won’t issue a refill until you see them again. 
3. Be diligent about ordering your prescription ahead of time—set a reminder in your calendar, phone, wherever you usually put those.  I recommend setting a monthly alarm on your phone or in Google calendars. 
4. Call ahead.  If you have concerns that your prescription may not be ready to be picked up when you get there, call the pharmacy and ask.  I’m sure they’d be happy to let you know the status of your prescription before you make the trip into the store.
5. Be prepared.  Bring new insurance information/cards with you.  While most pharmacy technicians are wizards at billing insurance, they can’t pull your member ID out of thin air.  Calling the insurance company for overrides (filling multiple months of a prescription because of travel reasons, not having current insurance cards, etc.) can be a long process, so be prepared to wait.
6. Find a pharmacy you like, and stick with them.  Establish a relationship with your pharmacist(s).  I know those coupons that incentivize using a different pharmacy are tempting, but ultimately, you’re wasting your time filling out new patient information for that pharmacy, and the pharmacist won’t have an updated record of your medications, health history, etc.
7. Know your medications.  Carry around a list of your medications, the strengths, doses, etc. with you.  This can be especially important when seeing new physicians, going to the hospital, etc.  Pharmacists can also use this information to check drug interactions, duplicates in therapy, etc.  This can be a great thing to do for your older family members as well.  HERE is a great form to use.
8. Ask questions.  If something doesn’t seem right at the doctor’s office, ask.  Yes, they’re busy, but so are you!  Wouldn’t it be better to leave with the correct prescription, rather than go all the way back to get it fixed?

I think the biggest thing is to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN HEALTHCARE!  I don’t think a lot of people do this, partly because some healthcare providers don’t feel that their patients CAN do this, but I’m always pleasantly surprised when I see patients who know their drug regimen better than me.  There’s nothing better than that!  Ultimately, your healthcare is your responsibility.

Wildflower bouquet

When I first started planning the wedding, I wanted so many things.  I was so silly.  One of those things I wanted was a bouquet made of wildflowers.  Turns out, many of the reasons I wanted wildflowers were also the reasons why it wouldn't work.  For example:  I wanted my bouquet to look simple and carefree (think woodland wedding).  I wanted my bouquet to be cheap.  I also wanted it to be something that would be easy to find and put together, as well as something that would "match" anything.  Turns out wildflowers are actually kind of hard to come by (unless you want to grow a ton yourself and have the good fortune of having them all bloom exactly on time).  This also means they're spendy to put together...not to mention the fact that most wildflowers aren't sturdy (We're talking wilting within a couple hours in the heat).  NOT ideal.  Neither are peonies in September (darn!).

Needless to say, I was unable to get wildflowers...but here are some beautiful wildflower bouquets to drool over anyways.

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Bachelorette Party!

While I love spending time with the hubby, there's nothing quite like getting a group of girls together for a night on the town.  It's even better when you don't get to see everyone very often.  For my bachelorette party, I was so excited to be able to have all of my best girl friends in one place.  Yes, the drinking and dancing was fun, but the best part was just shooting the breeze with my girls!

We started the afternoon at my place (tequila shots), and were escorted to the hotel downtown by the hubby (isn't he nice?).  On the way out, I forgot my wallet in the house...and for whatever reason, the front door was jammed shut...so we drank some champagne in the driveway:)

Aren't my friends gorgeous?!

I might've gotten a little carried away with the giant penis...

...maybe.

We had lots of drinks, chatted, and played some pretty silly games...

Which involved everyone wearing bright red lipstick;)

We went out...and had a great time.  Yes, this is the pg version.  We weren't naughty, but not all pictures are ok for sharing!  What a great night out with friends!  We should do it every weekend ;)

Our Cake Topper!

I don't know why I'm jumping straight to this, but I really loved our cake topper.  I made it with the help of my step-dad (who by the way insisted that I make these sturdy...that's just how he is) who helped with the construction of the wooden bodies, and my mother with some of the details.  I got so many compliments on it too!  Makes all the effort worth it when you get genuine compliments!  Here are some pictures of it, thanks to our awesome photographers, MoscaPhoto:)

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Finally! A Couples Costume!

Craig and I had never done a couples' outfit before (4 years, and he could never plan his outfit sooner than 4 hours before the costume party).  I am a planner.  I also really like trying to put together original costumes if I can help it.  I'm not exactly one to do the "sexy _____" costume, although I HAVE done it before, and it was alright, albeit cold.

Anyways, this year, I was the one without a plan, as I was busy with my rotations, so we ended up going as a couple of zombies from "Plants Vs. Zombies".  We love that game.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, then google it!  Here we are with the actual characters to compare:

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Anyway, we had fun, and FINALLY did a "couples" costume...kinda;)

What did you dress up as?

Back again

Me and my hubby as zombies from the game "Plants vs. Zombies"

Oh boy, it's been a rough few months.  I just finished with a pretty demanding rotation in cardiology (not my favorite topic to begin with).  I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that I haven't done anything wedding related (Thank you cards, blogging, crafting, etc) since the wedding.  I guess I needed a break.  I plan on blogging recaps and other things now though...as long as my new rotation is as laid back as I expect;)

Expect to see some pics, hear stories of my successes and failures, and more DIY stuff.  Thanks for reading!  Have a safe and happy Halloween!

less than two weeks

and still so much to do.  Which explains why I haven't been on here with updates--no excuses, but seriously.  With the wedding coming up, last minute details to finish, and moving, life is pretty busy.  Here's a little something from my phone though...

Our cake topper so far (yes, it's still not finished...)

An awful picture of our flower girl (trying on her dress) and our ring bearer:)