Posted: May 24th, 2010 | No Comments »
I watched 24 for the first time on December 25, 2005. That date began a five year love affair between Jack Bauer and myself.
It was Christmas night. All the excitement of the day was coming to a close, and I was headed to my room to watch Season 5 of Will and Grace which I had received as a gift from my parents that morning. As I reached down and grabbed it from under the tree, my Dad asked what I was doing. I told him I was going to watch an episode or two of, at the time, my favorite characters and have a couple laughs. His response was to hand me Season 1 of 24 and say, “Why don’t you watch this instead?”. I looked down at the box with my hand on my hip, a slight hint of attitude, and a look of disgust, to ask “What is this even about?”. He began to tell me that it was about a government agent who worked for the Counter Terrorist Unit who encounters a terroristic threat, and saves the day throughout the 24 hours. “Yea, sounds real interesting Dad”, I thought to myself. . . but I love my father, and if it would make him happy for me to suffer through one dull episode I would suck it up.
I went upstairs and loaded up the DVD player. The episode began with Keifer Sutherland’s (or as I will ONLY refer to him JACK BAUER’S) voice say “The following takes place between midnight and one am, on the day of the California Presidential Primary. Events occur in real time.”. Less then 15 minutes later I was hooked! I stayed up until 6:30 in the morning watching, I couldn’t turn it off. I was obsessed with Jack Bauer. Was there anything this guy couldn’t do . . . NOPE! I hurried through the rest of the season’s to catch up, and be ready for the next one to air.
The creator’s and director’s of the show are incredible, and I never want to get off the heart pounding thrill ride they have produced.
With the emotional roller coaster 24 has taken us on, it is hard to imagine how it will all end tonight, May 24th (coincidence? I think not). Of course Jack always finds a way out, and I can only hope tonight will be the same, but this time I can’t be sure. This season hasn’t been the same as the ones prior. It was very clear a few hours in that this season would be the last, with the President’s attempt to silence Jack after all he has done for the country, Chloe ordering them to bring down the plane Jack has hi-jacked, and all of the other actions that were uncharacteristic of 24. This season has truly kept us in suspense, never knowing what will happen next. My adrenaline is pumping just thinking about the twists and turns that we are sure to experience tonight.
How will it all end? I want to hear what my fellow fans think. Also, what I really want to know is who he is talking to at the end of the commercial they have been playing on the radio when he says “What are you doing here?”. My guess is Tony Almeida or maybe even Martha Logan. I have so many questions and can’t wait until tonight for the answers. Tell me how it’s going to end!
Will Jack finally get the quiet settled down life he keeps falling short from achieving? Will he end up in jail, or worse? I can only hope not the latter, as I have heard rumors of a movie . Only time will tell, but for now I guess all we can do is remember, in my opinion, the Top Ten most shocking moments of 24 (in no particular order. . .it was too hard to decide).
- George Mason giving up his life for Jack by flying the bomb out of harms way
- Jack cutting off Chase’s hand
- President Logan is a traitor
- Edgar’s death (I think so far the saddest moment)
- Tony is still alive and a bad guy
- Jack’s recent attack on the motorcade and President Logan
Send us your favorite moments, and predictions for the madness that is sure to unfold tonight!
www.eventsbymonroe.com
Posted: May 20th, 2010 | Tags: engagement party, Event Professionals, Events by Monroe, Invitations, Philadelphia Event Planner | No Comments »
Over the weekend my parents had my fiance’s parents over for dinner. During the evening the topic of an engagement party came up. They discussed everybody’s schedules, and since we have already been engaged for about six months, they wanted to make it soon. The only date that could work is less then a month away, and of course on a week we have three other events occurring. . . so here’s to the fourth 
I am very excited for the party, as it will be our first “wedding activity”; however I am also feeling a little panicked. Ever since I began planning events nine years ago, the simple celebratory party became non-existent among my family members. Every party we have has a theme with matching decor, drinks, etc. down to the smallest detail. So now we have less then a month to pull this all together, don’t worry. . . I work best under pressure.
First thing’s first – invitations. The date was picked on Sunday evening, so we need to have the invitations out by tomorrow at the latest. My first concern was how we were going to create/find eye appealing invitations, get our guest list together, gather all our guests addresses, and send them out, all before Friday.
Target and Gartner Studios to the rescue! We stopped at Target in desperation, hoping to find something that would meet my standards (I’m pretty picky). We headed over to the stationary section and there it was, an invitation kit that does a great job of imitating professionally crafted invitations. It even comes with cards that can be used to print response cards on (which I will no doubt be using for my thank you notes . Inside the box are easy step by step instructions on how to find the template online to type your wording in, as well as directions on how to set your page margins on your printer. They came out looking fabulous! I am beyond pleased with them.
If you would like to get these for your next party, they can only be purchased at Target or on Target’s website, as well as on Gartner Studio’s website. On their site you will also find gifts, favors, and some great decor ideas.
P.S. – Although these invitations are beautiful, and I would suggest them for any party, unless your budget simply doesn’t allow it, stick with the pros for your wedding invites. There is no substitution for the hand crafted work of an artist.
Posted: May 18th, 2010 | Tags: Charity, Company Events | No Comments »
Over the past few months we have had the opportunity to assist UPtown Kitchens with planning their “Home Tour for the Cure”. The tour took place over the weekend on Saturday May 15th. The weather turned out to be as beautiful as the kitchens and baths they design and create.
The tour-goers arrived at the UPtown Kitchens showroom at noon, and were given the map of the tour, along with a gourmet snack and drink, and the chance to win some great prizes. Prizes included a portable microwave, a GE dishwasher, and a Design retainer valued at $1500.00! The tour included six homes that the company had designed and constructed, and each one was more gorgeous then the last. The tour ended at a home in New Hope where a cocktail party was held for all who attended.
If you did not have a chance to take the tour you can stop by their beautiful showroom located in Langhorne any time. Mary would love to have you
The day was a great success with 50 attendees on the tour, as well as having raised $500.00 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. Thank you to all of the local businesses who sponsored the event, and thank you to UPtown Kitchens for allowing us to be a part of such a great day.
www.uptown-kitchens.com
Posted: May 5th, 2010 | Tags: Cinco de Mayo, drink recipes, Theme | No Comments »
We LOVE Cinco de Mayo! No, I don’t have any ethnic connections with the holiday, I simply love margaritas. They are my absolute favorite drink. As you may, or may not know, I have years of bartending experience. From this experience, I know in a busy bar how time consuming they are to make, and usually refrain from ordering them. . .
BUT on Cinco de Mayo I get a free pass
Here are some recipes of our personal favorites. Enjoy!
** If you are in a rush and you can find Friday’s Margarita mix it is the best! To add it into any of these recipes simply take out the lime juice and triple sec/Cointreau.
Classic Margarita
1.75 oz Jose Cuervo Tequila
2 oz Roses Lime Juice
1 oz Triple Sec
Splash of Orange Juice
Splash of Sour Mix
Salt Rim
*To get the salt to stick to the rim, dip it in lime juice, or rub a lime around the rim. Then dip it into the salt.
**To make this a Golden Margarita, add 1 oz of Gran Mariner.
Frozen Pomegranate Margarita
2 oz White Tequila
1/2 ounce of Triple Sec
1 oz Fresh pomegranate juice
6 oz ice
Blend
Garnish with a lime
Perfect Margarita
1.5 oz Cuervo 1800 Gold Tequila
1 oz Gran Mariner
1 oz Roses Lime Juice
1 oz Sour Mix
Squeeze a lime wedge and orange wedge into drink.
Shake and pour over ice.
Frozen Strawberry Margarita
1.5 oz Jose Cuervo Tequila
1.5 oz Roses Lime Juice
1 oz Triple Sec
4 oz crushed ice
Blend
Sugar Rim
We hope you get to sample some of these today while enjoying some sun. Be careful . . . they taste delicious, but the tequila can definitely sneak up on you
Posted: May 3rd, 2010 | No Comments »
My wedding is now just under one year away. It’s time for me to get moving! This led me to the idea for this blog. One of the most common questions I get at my initial consultations is “What should we be doing first? Are we too far ahead? When should we send our save-the-dates? etc.”
SO… I have decided to put a little guide together, as I plan my own wedding, that readers can access to answer the question, “What should we do next?”. This post will describe what you should be doing one year out.
First things first – Pick a date.
You can start by deciding what time of year/season appeals to you. If there is no particular time of year that interests you, maybe pick a date that is symbolic to you as a couple (your first date, birthday, holiday, etc.).
When you choose your date be sure to consider the expectation for the weather, if there could be any conflicts for guests to attend, big sporting events (you don’t want to have to argue with your fiance over weather a tv should be added by the bar to watch the Phillies in game 7 of The World Series or the Eagles in the NFC Championship game), etc.
My fiance and I got engaged on October 18th, 2009. We knew we would have a lot of saving to do, and both have very busy schedules, so we knew we needed at least a year. A year would have obviously put us right back into October. Although I enjoy the fall, I am much more of a spring/summer person. We would have loved May or June, but during those months prices increase, so we went with the closest Saturday we could get and decided on April 30th, 2011.
Some other ways to play around with your date to save on expenses is to choose a Friday or Sunday wedding, which are becoming very popular.
Look for Inspiration
Start looking through Bridal magazines, watching wedding shows on tv, and surfing the internet to find your wedding style. Get a binder and fill it with pictures you like. Look for a common theme or two in the pictures. This can help you to decide what type of venue you would like, the level of formality, color schemes, etc. It will also help you describe to your planner the look you are going for.
Make AND Stick To Your Budget
This part is never fun, but is EXTREMELY important. You need to know up front what you are willing to spend, and what you can afford. Hiring a planner to assist you with this can be invaluable. They will be able to tell you what is a realistic price for each professional you will need to hire in regards to your region/location, and can aid you in allocating your budget to the areas that are most important to you.
This is also a good time to have the “who will pay for what” discussion. It is important to know if your families will be contributing, or if you will be funding all of the expenses on your own. For more budget advice you can reference a former post Creating and Staying In Your Wedding Budget.
Who Makes The Cut
It’s no secret that weddings are a large expense. Unless you have a money tree growing in your backyard, you have to cut your guest list somewhere. Decide if you want a large wedding, or something more intimate. The size of your guest list will also dictate what venue you can or can’t choose.
Start by drafting a list of everyone you would like to have at your wedding. See what number you come up with. Get some packages sent to you from a few venues you think you may be interested in. Take the number of guests on your list, and multiply it by the average price per person on the packages you were sent from the venues. If the number in your calculator is more then 40-50% of your wedding budget, you need to reduce your list.
Some ways to cut guests out, without hurting feelings, is to do it by category. Start with children, and young adults. Make a cut off point. Perhaps you decide that there will be nobody under 18 invited. If your count is still too high, move onto couples. If they are not engaged, or in a serious relationship of a year or more, don’t give them a plus one on their invitation. It seems hard, but people will understand, and if you follow the same rules for everyone, nobody can get upset.
Find the Perfect Venue
Start looking for your venue as soon as possible. Depending on the time of year, and popularity of some venues, they can be booked a year or more in advance. Look through the binder you have put together with all of the images you like to see what type of venue will fit your style, and the level of formality you want. Be sure to read all policies and contracts in detail before committing to a venue.
Create your Wedding Registry
It’s never to early to create your wedding registry, even if you are having a two year engagement. It can be used not only for wedding and shower gifts, but for your engagement party, and even holidays and birthdays leading up to your big day if you handle it properly. Don’t send everyone a message around the holidays to let them know you would like a gift from your registry, but if they ask what you would like you can reference it. The earlier you create your registry, the better the chance you have of getting everything on it.
Begin Searching for Wedding Professionals
Start looking for your photographer, videographer, and entertainment. If you are trying to decide which to start with first, consider what is most important to you at your wedding and start there. Schedule appointments to meet with each professional, and ask as many questions as you can. You can never be too informed when making important decisions for your wedding.
These are the things you should be working on one year from your wedding. Getting a strong start on your planning will make the months leading up to your wedding less hectic. The next milestone is 9 months out.
