Back to Life, Back to Reality

We are officially back from our honeymoon, which was amazing with a capital A M A Z I N G. I think I left my mind back in Turks and Caicos because after 9 days of Caribbean bliss, I am a non functioning member of society. I cannot urge you enough to go visit Turks if you ever have the chance. All the beauty of a tropical island with about a third of the tourists. This honeymoon was everything we were looking for: great food, isolation, crystal clear bath temperature ocean water, small hotel with fabulous ammentities, etc. We ate like kings and read like nerds. We did not accomplish much and that's exactly what we were looking for. We did manage to make chummy with our hotel bartender so that we could sway him to play the Laker's playoff games despite all of the objections from the New Yorkers that mostly occupied our 110 room hotel. What a great way enter into a marriage!

Money Money Money...Money

Just wanted to give a friendly heads-up to all those choosing to valet their cars at the Canary. The cost of the valet is $12. So make sure you bring some dinero to make sure your car is safe and sound. However, we do suggest, since all of the hotels are within a mile or two of the Canary, to take a cab...and share the cab. What a steal and deal that can turn out to be!

Got Dutch?

There is six degrees of separation from you to a Dutch person. I guarantee you. Just ask me and I will link you to somebody who has lived in Bellflower, Chino, Ontario, Tulare, Visalia, Lynden, Pella, or Orange City. If your Dutch, you know exactly where all of these towns are located and understand this statement to be true. In ten days I will no longer be a Van Woudenberg. There will be no more short signature lines that don't fit my whole name, no more roll sheets where an employer or teacher has to guess my name since there is only one letter of my first name, no more back of sports jerseys that are shortened to "V.W" but then again, I won't be called "V.W." Nobody will be able to try to say my last name and miserably fail. People will not be able to glance at my last name and immediately identify my heritage. I have always been recognizably Dutch because of my last name. The 13 long, nasty letter combination will now diminish to five. So this is farewell to being recognizably Dutch and hello to a sweet short last name that will give me less of a headache. Allen. Looks like it sounds. Van Woudenberg. Not so much.

As you can see I am very proud of my Dutch heritage. I am a member of the 2nd generation Dutch mafia. All Dutchmen and women are all somewhat related to one another and more importantly, connected. Even though we might not still talk on a regular basis-we all know what is going on in eachothers' lives. We all know what Wilhelmina Peppermints are and it universally reminds us of Sunday church services. A room can smell of deep fried dough and raisins and we immediately know it is oliebollen...and we actually know what oliebollen is. Some of us grew up in a town where there is an actual Windmill Hotel. Sinterklaas, wooden shoes, and orange slices are all synonymous with Christmas. I may he not be leaving my heritage, but my last name is. And so I say goodbye Van Woudenberg and open my arms and give a loving embrace to Allen.

It's about that time to get your wedding pants on! For those of you that are going to be in or near Santa Barbara on Friday, we are planning on all getting together after our rehearsal dinner at Holdren's Steak House (512 State Street) around 7pm. Hope to see you there!

All's Fair In Love and Shoes

I'm convinced that the person who created the Heineken commercial, you know the one where the girls go running into the walk in closet and scream-only to be trumped by the yells of the men and their beer heaven, took that straight from my dreams. No, not because of my love for Dutch beer. But for all that space for pumps, flats, slingbacks, flat boots, heeled boots, riding boots, cowboy boots, gladiator sandals, heels, peep toes...I'm already drooling. Every woman loves a good shoe. However, I think there are only a few females that belong in an elite club. Those whose thoughts of shoes dominates their shopping experience. We know who we are. I have been lucky enough to meet a man who loves shoes just as much. But don't be mistaken, he would much rather have the beer cave than a walk in closet. It just creates a harmonious understanding when I do come home with a new box filled with 5 inches of glorious satin and straps.

I remember as a kid I looked forward to Friday nights. It meant TGIF and a bowl of ice cream. Sigh. Uncle Jesse and the Tanner Family. The anticipation would build during the week and I started to loathe every other day of the week, until Friday came. It made me, we just won the super bowl-we're going to Disneyland, excited. New shoes are my Friday nights. That explains why my wedding shoes are nothing less than special to me. Not to mention they are just flat out spectacular. Josh bought me these shoes about a month into our relationship. We knew by then that we would eventually get married, so I did not put them on other to try them for size. I vowed that day that they were going to be my something new and something blue. They are also going to remind me how far Joshua and I have come and how much we've grown in such a short amount of time. As I slip my foot into the right one, I will feel the excitement and butterflies I felt when he gave them to me. As I slip into the left one, I will feel the love, care and respect he showed that day. Tom Hanks, in Forest Gump said "Mama always said you could tell an awful lot about a person by the kind of shoes they wear." And his Mama was right! So Mama would say that Josh and I were the kind of people who love, who are sentimental, and who take nothing for granted. To say that I love these shoes would be an understatement, and I cannot wait to put them on!

It's All About The Attitude

I think it is safe to say that we all experience things differently. I also think it is safe to say that each bride before a wedding feels some sort of stress or another. This may be an illogical assumption, however it is my fallacious fancy and it helps me from thinking that I may be slightly crazy. Like putting me in a straight jacket, shipping me off to Shutter Island, because I cannot make one more decision about hurricane candleholders vs. tea light candleholder, crazy.

Being an event planner and previously working on weddings in college, I have had my fair share of exposure to ideas and fantasies of what I wanted my own wedding to look like. I dreamed of always getting married outdoors and believe it or not, in Santa Barbara. I have been a closet subscriber to Martha Stewart's Weddings since it first published. I love events. I love the look of them, I love the design aspects, andI love the way people react when they all come together. I love the unusual; I love the out of the box thinking. I love the ambiance that something as little as 'up lighting' can create. However, it is one thing to plan another bride's wedding and it is another to plan your own. In my delusional fantasy, I did not think any of the tiny details would apply when it came to my own wedding. Boy was I wrong. As I sit here, on a Sunday morning, before Church, I am frantically looking up napkin folds and approving designs on my menu cards. I remind myself to constantly breathe and I constantly remind myself that it's not the wedding day that makes a marriage.

I once had somebody tell me in college something that has still stuck with me..."In the grand scheme of things, does (it) really matter?" These tasks, napkin folds, seating charts, schematics, and all the overwhelming decisions that must be made, I can see how losing perspective of what a wedding really is, is easy to do. Josh and I have vowed though to remember how the little things in the long run don't really matter. We constantly reflect and discuss how our marriage is more important than the day. The day is just a celebration to mark the start of our lives together. We are excited to build that life together and we know that is all that really matters. We plan on growing old with one another, yes, like Rose from the Titanic old and enjoy life, have children, love others, and be used however God wants us to be used.

"Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be."
Robert Browning

Wedding Accommodations

The day is fast approaching when my solicitors phone calls will no longer start 'Is Ms. Van Woodenshnigen available?' Yipee! I cannot wait to be an Allen...and I cannot wait for the wedding festivities to begin. For those of you looking for accommodations the weekend of the wedding, we, and by we I mean my mother, has compiled a list of special rates, blocked rooms and other misc. sleeping arrangement goodness. So here it goes:

Hotels In Santa Barbara

Pepper Tree Inn bestwesternpeppertreeinn.com
(800) 338-0030
We have blocked 5 rooms and an additional 5 will be blocked after these are filled. Mention Allen/Van Woudenberg (Van Wow-den-burg for those of you who aren't dutch) wedding for the group discount. These rooms will be released 30 days prior to the wedding
King $137.81
2 Doubles $137.81

Mason Beach Inn santabarbaramasonbeachinn.com
(805) 962-3203
Wedding Rate:
2 Queen $129.00
1 King $119.00
Suite $179.00

Hotel Marmonte hotelmarmonte.com
(800) 643-1994
We have blocked 10 rooms and 30 days before the wedding they will be released. There is a minimum stay of 2 nights. Mention Allen/Van Woudenberg wedding for the discount.
$179.00

Franciscan Inn franciscaninn.com
(805) 963-8845
We have a wedding rate so mention Allen/Van Woudenberg
2 Queens $180.00
1 Queen $140.00
1 King $150.00
2 Beds $180.00
There are also various suites available upon request

Additional Hotels that do not offer discount wedding rates but are within a 2 mile radius of the Canary (click on the name of the hotel and it will direct you towards their website)

Aviana Inn

Sandpiper Lodge

Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara

Fess Parker's Double Tree

Fiesta Inn

Holiday Inn-Hotel Virginia

Hotel Santa Barbara

Joshua, myself and some of our guests/friends will be up in Santa Barbara Thursday through Sunday and will have various activities planned like a BBQ, lawn bowling, etc. Feel free to come join us at any time! As the wedding approaches, we will have more details on those events. However, if you are in need of more options in lodging, do not hesitate to let one of us know and we would be more than happy to point you in the right direction!

Hoop Dreams

It is uncommon for a girl to love college basketball as much as I do (besides you, Ashley Woods). So more than often I get asked the question, "Why do you like college basketball so much?" Well, as I sit here, in enjoyment, watching the Tarheels get spanked by Wake Forest, I came up with a few good reasons:

I love that the game is exciting, full of history and tradition.

I love there is always an underdog

I love that there is a Cinderella team that surprises us every year like the 2006 George Mason Patriots beating North Carolina, Connecticut and Michigan State to make it to the Final Four.

I love that there is a playoff system. A tournament to decide the winner, not 15 different bowl games.

I love Bill Walton's hair, the Candy-striped pants of the Hoosiers, and UCLA's Joe Bruin (yes, I gave UCLA some props). Speaking of UCLA...

I LOVE John Wooden. I had the honor to meet and spend the entire evening with him. You will learn more in 5 hours with that man then most people will in a lifetime. No exaggeration. He also told me I reminded him of his wife, which is one of the greatest compliments I have ever received and started my research into his coaching career.

I love the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats. I love that their roster was so rich it could have posed as an NBA team. Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson, and Tony Delk...sweet.

I love that James Worthy, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan were all on a team at the same time and it wasn't the NBA All Star team.

I love the Kansas Jayhawks. I love the pure game they play.

I love sanctuaries like the Allen Fieldhouse, Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the Palestra.

I love that in any other sport, you will not find anybody like Dick Vitale.

I love the avid fans that create a menacing foe for visiting rivals.

I love the exciting hum that starts right before tip-off.

I love that I was born in March and think that is no coincidence.

I love the look of the polished hardwood floors that sparkle, a court painted school colors, line with names like Nell and John Wooden.

I love that schools pay homage to legendary coaches.

A daughter of a former basketball coach, I grew up around the game. I was even a cheerleader (don't judge) for the game in high school...I liked it a lot, but I never loved it as much as I do now. I can remember the day and the game I went to that sparked my obsession. it was Saturday, January 12, 2002. UCLA v. Kansas at Pauley Pavilion. It was the crowd, the players, and the coaches. It definitely was not Steve Lavin's hair, but roy Williams' coaching. It was the 'back to basics' principles and playing style of Nick Collison, Kirck Hinrich, Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles and Keith Langford...they were all, in the words of Dick Vitale, "PTPer's."

And that is why I love college basketball and think you should too.

Loss

Today I was reminded by an extremely tragic situation, how short our life is here on Earth. We are not guaranteed a tomorrow, a next week, or even a next year and we are not promised we will live a life without difficult times and escape from tragedy. However, if we go through these difficult times and tragedy while knowing God, we can react to them with a different perspective and with a strength that is not our own. He tells us the He can be "our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in times of trouble." He is bigger than all the problems that can hit us, and we are not left alone to deal with them.

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2