Chango Coffee

I love my neighborhood.  Have I mentioned that any fewer than a hundred times yet?  I like to reiterate this every time some new thing tickles me, and today, I was kinda tickled.


I agreed to meet someone for coffee for a sort of business meeting/possible new friend/I don't know why we were really meeting but I obviously couldn't say no, and since I'm confined to my part of town all day every day because who want's to take the bus(?), I chose the only coffee shop I could think of.  Insert Chango Coffee.


This place is on our walk route so Dexter and I pass by on a regular basis and stop at the water bowl while I check out all the hipsters looking miserable, smoking cigarettes, wearing stupid hats and drinking coffee.  I've never actually stopped inside so when I suggested the place for the meeting I thought I should probably do my homework.  Yelp is the best place to go if you're looking for really jaded reviews of somewhere you thought you would like to go.  I found SO MANY bad reviews, and not just bad, terrible!  The kind of reviews where the reviewer gave one star because they had to in order to give a review.  Reviews slaughtering everything from the coffee and food to the service, decor, chalkboard menu, to even the hipsters sitting outside!  One reviewer said the guy working there hit her in the face with a bag of garbage on his way outside then told her she was in the way.  The reviews were so bad I just had to keep reading until my eyes burned.  Most of the reviews slashed the service, stating that you had to be a die hard hipster to even be looked in the eye, and even then they wouldn't be nice or give you any sort of courtesy.  


Don't worry, there were at least three good reviews in the lot of, oh, 70 bad ones.  So...what did I do?  I leashed up my dog and arrived promptly at 1:55 pm outside of Chango to wait for my meeting, duh.


Anyone who knows me knows that "hipster" isn't really a word that anyone would use to describe me.  Although...a hipster would never, EVER, admit to being a hipster...so who knows, maybe I am.  But probably not.  Hipsters are the people who live across the street who I am just completely amazed by on a daily basis.  I've mentioned these folks in previous posts, they are who I like to call Rock n Roll Hipsters, you'll never find a guitar or tambourine too far away from one of these guys.


Dexter and I finally make it to Chango after sniffing every damn thing we pass and peeing on every other thing we pass, petting Warrior, watching Warrior lick Dexter's face, and making new friends at the dog store.  I decided to wait on the corner so my new friend could see me from whichever direction she was coming from.  The first person I see inside Chango is, guess who, one of my Rock n Roll Hipster neighbors!  I think he works there but was just hanging out because he came outside to drink his coffee and smoke cigarettes in a stupid hat.  He smiled and said hello on his way past (we've never formally met).  Then out came the guy who was working there, he was super friendly and stopped to pet Dexter and tell me how healthy and happy my dog looks.  Everyone else who was sitting outside said hello and pet Dexter and let him lick their toes and sniff out their dog with the creepy blue cataract eyes.


Why was everyone being so damn nice?  Why did the disgruntled hipster barista smile AND talk to me? What was going on here?  The coffee had better be burned and terrible and taste like mud or I'm going home.


Skip to my friend arriving, soy latte placed in front of my face, Dexter on my lap... and... hey, this latte is delicious!  Once again (and again, and again, and again) Yelp got it wrong.  Because Yelp sucks.  Realistically it's the losers who posted the reviews who suck, but I have a small hatred for Yelp due to past experiences, so I'll just go ahead and blame them.


I will definitely go to Chango again.  I loved it there.  If I were to leave a review, which I won't, I would give it 5 stars.  And this just adds another star to my neighborhood because now I know that my stupid Rock n Roll Hipster neighbors are actually really nice and I know where I can get a good soy latte when the need strikes.  And I'm not even a hipster!  Who knew such luck would strike!

And a Bucket of Fried Chicken

We live across the street from a KFC/Taco Bell combo.  Because sometimes you can't decide whether you want Popcorn Chicken or a Spicy Cheesy Grande Supreme Taco.... or both.  Luckily I have only succumbed to this desire once, and I ordered one taco off of the "fresco" menu.  Why do people think that because something is listed on a menu labeled as "fresh" written in Spanish, that its healthier?  It is neither fresh nor healthy when coming from a fast food chain such as this.  And judging by the amount of large cockroaches I see roaming the streets nearby, I can cross sanitary off its list of attributes.  That taco however, was amazing...doused in hot sauce sporting some hilarious quip on its tiny packet.


There is a stretch limo parked outside my house right at this very moment, and the person I'm assuming to be the driver has also succumbed to his KFC/Taco Bell desires.  He purchased himself a bucket of chicken.  How many calories are in this bucket of chicken I cannot guess, nor can I assume there to be much nutritional value allotted to such a bucket, but that is obviously of no concern to Limo Driver.  He got in the back seat to eat his bucket, I'm guessing because the windows are tinted back there and he didn't want anyone to see him eating an entire bucket of fried chicken himself.  But I know, Limo Driver, I know your secret.  I know you have grease on your chin and wiped your fingers on your pants.


Do you remember the days when a limo was enough of a status symbol that it didn't need to be doubled in length?  Unless you're carting around 12 people, is a stretch limo really necessary?  Or maybe you need that much space between yourself and your driver because he has bad fried chicken gas and you'd rather not smell it.  


I've come to the conclusion that Dexter makes me look like a nicer person.  Whenever I'm outside with Dexter, wherever we go, everyone wants to talk to me and tell me things about their life they probably wouldn't be telling other random strangers.  They want to show me things they own and give me advice about how to live my life.  Dexter is my alter-ego.  He is adorable and extroverted and overly friendly.  He wants to say hello to everyone he sees and will thrust himself in their path to do so.  He stops to smell the roses and sniffs the air as if hope is the scent being carried in the breeze.  Dexter would eat an entire bucket of chicken with fury and show no remorse.  He has no regrets.


Upon further inspection, I've decided that Man With Chicken Bucket is not the driver at all, but someone who is too embarrassed to give in to his KFC dreams in his own neighborhood.  Secrets cannot be kept from someone who works from home.

The End and the Beginning

Well, Jesse and I got married. It was amazing. By far the most surreal day of my life thus far, I'm glad it's over, and I'm glad we have over 500 photos to remember the day that flew past and refused to end. I am now legally bound to the one person I can bear the company of every day of my life, and I plan to enjoy his company for the next 1oo years, wherever we may be.

Now that we are really adults, husband and wife with a little furry family, we decided the next step was to relocate to southern california, where the sun always shines and the glitz and glamour is totally hidden beneath the pile of garbage on the corner, crawling with cockroaches and a stray cat, who lays peacefully underneath a parked truck, bearing a permanent snarl and reddish eyes. Tiny barking Chihuahuas race back and forth behind chain-link fences, bearing their miniature teeth and barking at Dexter as we walk past, sniffing out the neighborhood. Physically fit men wearing snug-fitting activewear strut to the gym in pairs and size up the competition behind dark sunglasses. It seems that 99% of the people in Los Angeles are between the ages of 25 and 38, the young and old are sprinkled about behind closed doors and tan faces.

We moved to Echo Park. Technically Los Angeles, Echo Park is one of those hipster neighborhoods occupied in general by poor hispanic families and people like me. Whatever I am. Directly across the street is the neighborhood handyman, Victor, his son, also Victor, is probably 9 years old and likes to tell me all about the neighborhood animals and visit with Dexter, but Dexter knows better than to trust someone with such small hands. Victor's family has a yard sale every Saturday, enticing the passersby with junk that Mr. Victor has picked up during the week or collected from new tenants moving in who don't want the stuff that was left behind. Next door to the Victor family live the hipster rock n' rollers who provide me with endless entertainment. I have no idea who actually lives there, there used to be a white fluffy dog who I haven't seen in a while, but I am guaranteed to see some skinny guy wearing dirty black jeans that appear to have been painted on, no shirt, although maybe an open black vest, and long greasy hair. It's not just that his hair is greasy, it's more like his entire body is just dirty and the grease from having not showered in however many days sticks to him in the hot L.A. sun. There is also a girl, who I would assume to be kinda pretty if I could get close enough to really see, but that's of no interest to me. It's her stupid trendy hipster outfits that humor me the most, such as high-waisted bellbottoms paired with a big floppy sun hat and sunglasses... at midnight on a Tuesday. I get to watch them hang around with their friends who stop by and smoke cigarettes and strum on the guitar or tap a tambourine while Dexter farts around in the yard. They used to have a couch on the front porch, the maroon velveteen type that resides on every front porch of anyone who ever lived in a house during college, but that disappeared a week ago and I can't stop thinking about what reason they could possibly have for getting rid of it.

Los Angeles is proving to be pretty awesome, I'm learning all sorts of things about human nature and the way people live who aren't me. The food so far is amazing, the people Dexter forces us to meet on our walks are proving to be great acquaintances, and every where we go my thoughts are reaffirmed that I love it here.

I would still classify myself as restless, pushy and optimistic; I'm reminded of my nature on a regular basis. My intentions are to impose my thoughts, beliefs, and L.A. findings on you, my reader, whenever I can find the words.

My Amazing Friends and Family

My friends and family are playing a very large part in our wedding, and I just want to take a moment to give a big shout out to them, because they are awesome, and without them my marriage to Jesse would be so unoriginal!

My dearest and best friend in the entire universe, Alaina Mickes, is the creative genius behind Paper, Flour, Water. She makes totally unique jewelry out of paper mache, as well as other fun things such as pinatas, neat paper cut out art works, and all-around great jewelry such as the earrings and necklaces she is making for my bridesmaids and I.

My friend Geneva Sutter, who has been a long time friend of Jesse's, is the sassy and creative owner of Bird Crap Featherwear. She makes amazing feather earrings and fascinators exactly like this one! It's totally me and I'm so excited to wear it in my hair on my wedding day! She also made a matching bouttineer for Jesse, and then surprised us with bouttineers for Jesse's groomsmen and both of our fathers!

Our dear friend Nicholaus Palmer (posing here with a birthday cake I made him as a tribute to one of his favorite authors Hunter S. Thompson), an all around good guy, has agreed to get officiated in the state of Montana and marry us! Neither Jesse or I are in any way religious, so the thought of hiring a priest was just out of the question. We really didn't even have to think about it before deciding there was no one better to do the deed than Nicholaus, he is extremely creative and quite the word-smith, so we're giving him free range to say whatever he wants during the ceremony...just as long as Jesse and I end up married when he's done. I guess that's what the marriage license is for anyway.

My mom, who has quickly become an amazing guitar player, will be playing the music during our ceremony along with a few friends, perhaps a fiddle and a mandolin? I can't be certain, but I can be certain that they will sound amazing. She has decided to play Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" when I walk down the aisle, because it is fun and there is one line that says "Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come", which she has already changed to "Today's the day Jesse's bride's gonna come". I'll probably cry. I love that she is making the music personal.

My dad, who is one of the craziest people I have ever known, also proves to me every day how amazing he is. Not only will he walk me down the aisle, during which I know we'll both be quite teary, he has already started to make the cut out wood barn animals to be used as table numbers....table animals. He is an extremely skilled craftsman and I know these special little animals are going to be the perfect final touch to each table.

And lastly, while they don't have specific assignments, my brother Levi, his beautiful fiance Shannon, Jesse's sister Sarah and their parents Joe and Susan, all will help to make our day extra special. Everyone has been super supportive through this entire, extremely long, stressful, expensive process, and we couldn't be happier.

And of course, I cannot forget, my other two best friends in the whole world Nicole and Meghan, and Jesse's other two groomsmen and Sprains' members Dan and Dustin, are just the icing on the cake, and we couldn't imagine getting married without them.

I'm so excited!! 2 months to go!

Officially official

Now that this wedding is really happening, for reals, because the invitations have been sent out and I even watched someone open one because the US postal service is sometimes too quick, I've decided to share the final products with you. The invitation is actually not at all what I was envisioning when I first embarked on this quest to make my own, but I like what I came up with. We are getting married in a barn, after all, so I thought I would add a little bit of that to the invitations. Also, on each table at the reception, instead of table numbers, my dad is making custom table barn animals to direct our guests to their assigned table. All the more reason to carry the theme to our invites.

Save the Date

Invitation

RSVP

Each item was packed in a lovely shimmery brown envelope with custom labels made my yours truly, of sea foam green gingham. And I had to choose the King and Queen of Hearts stamps, which were fitting to the occasion and actually really pretty! Who knew stamps could be pretty?

Now I just have to make my wedding dress.....and fabric flower bouquet, and fun little bouttineers for the groomsmen. I've got some long nights ahead of me!

3 Months To Go?!?

WHAT? Are you serious? This can't be happening. I'm getting married in 3 months? I think I need to lay on the floor for a while. Oh wait, the floor smells like pee. Damn dog ruins everything. Too bad he's so darn cute.

Wow, the time has really started to fly. Now that I'm working more than full time (6 days a week, yuck) I have very limited time to finish up all this wedding planning nonsense, I really need to kick it into high gear! On the upside, I have all of our invitations and RSVPs printed and ready to go, just waiting on the stamps I had to re-order because I can't seem to count correctly. Oh, and when you ask someone for their address, don't expect it right away. For some reason friends and family find it very difficult to type out their address into an email or facebook message and click "send". I know, it's like a number, then some word you've probably never heard of before followed by some crazy abbreviation like "st" or "rd" or "ave" it's a wild world out there folks. And then you have to know what city you live in! And don't even get me started on the zip code, ohhhh the zip code. I'm getting a hernia just thinking about what my zip code might be.

I digress.

All complaints aside, I'm super excited for our wedding day. And to top it all off, my mom has agreed to play her guitar with her friend Elisabeth while we walk down the aisle. I'm probably going to burst in to tears as soon as I hear her play, but I'll try to hold it together. I told her to play whatever she wants, I know she's good so there's no use in me micromanaging. Now if I can just get the Sprains to play a song or two during the reception we'll all be having a great time! Gosh, I know so many talented people, I could probably get almost all of our guests to play a song for us! Wouldn't that be a treat!

While we're on the subject of music, somehow "Patience" by Guns n' Roses became our song, and we've asked our band to play it for our first dance. The song itself isn't even close to resembling my relationship with Jesse, we've been inseparable since the day we met, but we like the song anyway. And who can deny their love for Guns n' Roses?? Not me!

The Icing on the Cake

Well, my wedding is less than 5 months away now and the planning is pretty much done! I can't really believe it myself. Yes, we had an extremely long engagement, but to plan a wedding in a state that we can only get to once before the big day, I'd say I've done a pretty good job of making it all come together!

I'm tying up all the loose decorating ends now, which are minimal, but key. Since the reception is in a huge old barn, we thought beverages should be served in mason jars. I somehow managed, though the Craigslist gods, to procure over 200 mason jars for just $65! They are all different shapes and sizes, some smooth, some quilted, and all awesome. Just what I wanted!

I don't think I'll be tying any fabric around my jars, but I am thinking of doing something creative to help drinks stay with their drinkers. Perhaps name tags on straws, or a little piece of elastic that can slip around the jar with a name tag on it.

I've been collecting random jars and wine bottles that I think are neat for the past year and a half to be used as flower vases for centerpieces. The miscellaneious jars are clear, brown, and shades of green (sea foam green bottles are near impossible to find) and range from BBQ sauce jars to baby food jars to wine bottles, and everything in between! I'm using all white flowers in our wedding, which I think will look great in little groups of various jars!

Also, I plan on stringing as many white lights as I can get my grubby little hands on, and a tasteful amount of white paper lanterns. The barn is a little bit pre-decorated with leftover decorations from a previous wedding, which I plan to rearrange in a better way or take down.

Real photo from Kleffner Ranch above

And lastly, the Kleffer Ranch has all sorts of great things in the barn, such as an old carriage and some sort of really old car that we can use for decorating! I don't know what we'll do with them yet, but they're there just waiting for me!

Both photos from Kleffner Ranch

I've decided to save the cake as a surprise. As many of you know, I know a thing or two about decorating a wedding cake! So just to keep you in suspense, I'm saving that one for myself (minus the few who I've already told, and my dear friend Alaina who somehow inspired the idea). But here's a sneak peek.

I love everything about this photo.

Girls in Green

I am not a traditional girl, and after working in the wedding industry for over 2 years, I find many aspects of a traditional wedding to be completely ridiculous, unnecessary, and just horrible. Thankfully my friends and most of my family agree with me on these matters, but I do run into a few who try to convince me of how wonderful these silly traditions are. I will not be swayed! More importantly I don't feel that I should have to defend my choices to those who cannot think outside the box.

That being said, my bridesmaids were given the task of choosing their own dresses. They had a few parameters to stick to, such as color family, and my insistence that it looks great on them. Somehow all 4 girls chose a short dress in some shade of sea foam green! This pleases me, not what I envisioned, but I am thrilled none the less. Of course when ordering clothes online you can never be too sure what the end result will be, and these may not all work out, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they do!

Jesse and his groomsmen will be wearing brown suits with a white shirt and brown tie. Casual, simple and classic, although a little less classic than black. This I am also getting a lot of flack for, why brown they all ask. Because I said so! Let's hope they all look as stunning as old Ronald here.

My maid of honor and all around awesome human being, Alaina (of Paper Flour Water) will be making necklaces for all the maids, as well as myself. And I will be making unique little boutonnieres for the groomsmen. Jesse's old friend Geneva, as well as super creative person (of Bird Crap Featherwear) has graciously offered to make me a custom hair piece and matching boutonniere for Jesse! We are so blessed (I use that term loosely due to my lack of religiousness) to have such crafty friends. Our friends and family are playing all sorts of special roles in our wedding, and I'm so excited to see it all come together!

Only 5 months left! Yikes!