Carli and Vince (and happily ever after)

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder..

2012-01-18T12:31:00.002-05:00

...that's the saying right? Vince and I were out of town last week, but not together. He had team training in Indy for work and the day he came back, I left for Vegas with my girlfriends. Our schedules and routines were all out of whack, and poor Vito even got sick.

It's so nice to pick up where we left off. On the couch, snuggling and watching The Sopranos.

Happy Birthday, Vince!

2012-01-10T10:58:00.004-05:00

The big 2-8! We celebrated Vince's birthday in style by kicking off his birthday weekend at Giovanni's Ristorante in Beachwood. It was very fancy, so we felt a little under dressed, but the food was amazing. We definitely splurged. Our server came out with a lit candle and spumoni compliments of the house.

Saturday a bunch of us went to Panini's to celebrate more - and take some shots.

We wrapped up Sunday with a small family get together at the house to eat Vince's favorite Strawberry Ice Cream Cake from Z's Cream and Bean.

The Sopranos

2012-01-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

Our new TV show obsession this winter is The Sopranos. We borrowed the series box set from a friend, and 3 weeks later we're already up to Season 5. It's something to look forward to every night since the weather is cold and snowy. Other shows on the line up this winter are Shameless and House of Lies on Showtime.

Happy Holidays!

2012-01-03T10:10:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! Vince and I had a great Holiday, but we're ready to get back to our normal routine. We had our annual Christmas eve, eve party and that was a success. Not only because our house wasn't as destroyed as last years party, but I was happy to see all our friends.

We spent a lot of time with our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and were very lucky to get some great gifts. Vince got me a beautiful blue sapphire ring, clothes, a Dale Carnegie book and a pink flask :) I got him clothes, stuff for his iPad and all the little things on his Christmas List.

We celebrated New Years Eve at the Flat Iron with some friends. They rented out the entire bar, so it was a fun time!

The only sad that occurred this past week was I lost in the Fantasy Football Super Bowl :( Oh well, at least I'm getting my $30 back.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012!
Love,
Carli and Vince

Fantasy

2011-12-22T09:33:00.004-05:00

This year I joined a Fantasy Football team with my girlfriends. "No boys allowed to help" were the only rules. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but when I started winning games the obsession kicked in. I am now in the Championship with Heather and I'm ready for it to be over. Here's the team taking me to the Super Bowl!

White Chrismas

2011-12-13T10:00:00.003-05:00

Not outside, but on my nails! Here's hoping for a real White Christmas this year.

Christmas Partyin'

2011-12-05T11:41:00.003-05:00

We had our first Christmas party of the season on Saturday night, and it was an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. Of course we didn't start looking for sweaters until the day before the party, so everything was sold out. Instead we decided to go with matching Christmas turtlenecks, and it worked out pretty well if I do so say myself.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-29T15:05:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving was great this year, and we have so much to be thankful for.

We went to Zia Grace's house to stuff ourselves with amazing homemade food and dessert, then I braved the crowd at midnight to catch some Black Friday deals with my mom.

I also got to spend time with my friends, which was nice since Ashley was in town from Chicago and Alex from Raleigh. There were about 4 days in a row where I didn't go to bed before 3am, and it was worth it. Lizzy made an announcement that she's expecting in June and I am so excited for her! She's the 1st out of my best friends to get pregnant, but I'm waiting for a few others before we get started :)

Hello, Cupcake

2011-11-22T10:27:00.003-05:00

I love cupcakes, and so do my friends. Strawberry filled cupcakes for Gary's Birthday :)

Clumsy Carli

2011-11-18T09:56:00.005-05:00

I've been known to be uncoordinated at times. Knocking the cereal box over, stubbing my toe, missing a step.. ya know.

The other day while racing up the stairs (late for work of course), I slammed my elbow bone on the railing. I couldn't move my arm for a day, and had to wear Vince's HUGE arm brace that fits around my knee.

Today while lifting my 10lb weights (yea that's right), I dropped one on my knee cap! Then before putting my shoes on for work, I stepped in water and had to change my socks. Who knows why there was water on the ground, I probably spilled something.

I think it's time to start this weekend now. Cheers!

Euro Spree 2012

2011-11-15T10:09:00.003-05:00

The Ohio State University Alumni Association hosts travel tours all around the world, and next year for our 3-year anniversary, we decided to go on one. In 14 days, we'll travel to 8 European countries with a group and tour host.

We have a lot of free time, but the tour also includes some fun activities such as:
- Amsterdam canal cruise
- Oktoberfest city of Munich and visit to German beer halls
- Austrian Alpine center stay and scenic drive over the Alps
- Private boat to Venice island
- Murano glass-blowing workshop demonstration in Venice
- Illumination drive through Rome & Vatican City to see the Colosseum and Forum Romanun, Piazza Venezia, St. Peter’s Basilica and more
- A picnic lunch in the French countryside
- Illumination drive through Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral

It'll be such an amazing experience, we are really looking forward to it!

Fall Cooking

2011-11-15T09:56:00.004-05:00

I was in the entertaining mood and decided to host a small dinner gathering last week (and I wanted to get use out of our new dining room set). I made a delicious Brisket in the oven and was so happy that it turned out fine! No pictures because it all went fast.

Fall always puts me in the cooking/baking mood, and I've been on an almond kick lately. So last night I attempted to make Almond cookies with homemade almond paste. The presentation wasn't as good as my mother-in-laws, but they tasted pretty good! Instead of little cookie rocks, it came out as 1 big cookie (oops)! I told Vince I was experimenting, so broke the cookies into little pieces for him to taste test :)

Keeping Warm

2011-11-10T11:36:00.003-05:00

We have an all electric house, so in the winter it never really gets warm in our house. When Vito, Vince and I aren't cuddling :) we rely on the space heater and layers of clothes.

Vito doesn't have any clothes, so what kind of parent would I be if I didn't take care of him and keep him warm too?!

OSU Alumni

2011-11-07T14:04:00.008-05:00

Is it just me, or do undergrads look so young now? I guess looking back at my college pictures I looked a lot younger, but when does that transition take place? Vince and I were picking out people on the street and piecing together a story for each person. "Those girls and are freshmen in a sorority, because they aren't wearing any OSU sports apparel."

Anyway, Vince and I had a blast this weekend at OSU. We got to catch up with good friends, plus the Buckeyes won! Of course we spent most of our time (and money) at Out-R-Inn, our favorite bar in college. It was nice to see my name dominating the bathroom stalls from senior crawl in March 2006. I like how at the time I thought not to write my last name, but my middle name in case I got busted haha

OSU campus brought back so many great memories, but so did the city. I love Columbus!

Halloween Recovery

2011-11-03T15:01:00.009-04:00

The Halloween party was a success and 5 days later the house is clean and we've recovered! It was great to catch up with friends and see all the funny costumes. We didn't have very many trick-or-treaters, but that was okay since Vito flipped out every time someone came to the door.

Tomorrow we leave for our next adventure: The Ohio State University! We have Alumni tickets to the OSU v. Indiana game, but I'm most excited to see all my friends that live in Columbus.

OH-IO!!

Halloweenie

2011-10-28T10:23:00.002-04:00

This weekend Vince and I are hosting our 3rd Halloween party, and we're looking forward to it. Vince loves Halloween, and he gets all into the decorations and his costume. My favorite part of any party is setting up the bar :) I'll have lots of pictures to share, but here is the original gangster, Don Vito Corleone.

Love

2011-10-26T11:26:00.002-04:00

Minne

2011-10-24T14:50:00.006-04:00

Minneapolis last weekend was great! The weather was chilly, but sunny - which always makes for great day drinking... and night drinking. During our downtime we played video games. Cool, right? Well, we played the Michael Jackson dancing game on XBOX and it was awesome! I think it's even better played when drunk, because I did a killer Thriller Saturday night at 2am.

This past weekend we moved Mark and Mariella into their beautiful new home in Brecksville. Vince said that one day he wanted to move to Brecksville.. then after a few trips in the car with a 25mph speed limit, he quickly changed his mind.

In other news, I finally got an iPhone! I didn't want to join the crowd and get one, but Vince had an upgrade available, aaaand I have zero patience for a slow loading Blackberry. Here is the first nice quality picture I've gotten with a cell phone.

Last Wedding of the Wedding Season

2011-10-10T14:44:00.011-04:00

Alexis and Drew had a beautiful wedding, and it was nice to catch up with old friends. The weather was great for "day-drinking", but like the old, young married couple we are - we had to go home to the dog, crock-pot, and yard work.

There was a nice turnout for family breakfast in the park on Sunday morning (most likely because the Browns had a bye week). Probably the last warm/dry day we'll have for the next 5 months.

This weekend Vince and I are travelling to Minneapolis to visit Murphy and his girlfriend, Holly. They have a full weekend planned for us, so we're really looking forward to it.

Fun-filled weekend, every weekend.

2011-10-06T12:45:00.003-04:00

Since we both have big families, we're used to our weekends being filled with birthdays, anniversary parties, weddings, etc. The agenda for this weekend (which I send to Vince's Outlook Calendar as a reminder) is:

Friday - Erin's Birthday Party
Saturday - Alexis's Wedding (my old college roomate)
Sunday - Family breakfast in the park/Jared's birthday party

Fortunately the weather is going to be in the high 70's all weekend, so it's perfect.

Picture of the day: I have a creepy candy bowl on my desk at work, and Vito doesn't like it.

Two Years Later

2011-09-29T15:08:00.002-04:00

Sorry for waiting 2 years to update the blog, but we've just been so busy! So I'll jump right into it. Things are going great right now for Vince and I. We both have great jobs and a 9-month older Boston Terrier, Vito. He's got quite a personality, so fair warning that many posts may be about him.

We did a lot of traveling this past year, and plan to do more next year. We don't have kids yet, so now's the time to do it. Next stop is Minneapolis to visit Murphy and his girlfriend.

This summer my dad put hardwood floors in the dining room and family room, so now we're in the process of furnishing it - which is the fun part! Summer is over, but we have a fun-filled fall planned with weddings, birthday parties, and OSU games! I joined a Fantasy Football league with my girlfriends, and I'm starting to get into it. Vince has been doing it for a while, so he takes it a lot more serious than me.

We're hosting our annual Halloween party again this year, so I'm putting together a good costume for Vito. He is Vito Corleone, the Godfather - of course!

Married Life is Good

2009-12-18T15:50:00.004-05:00

Wow, we haven't updated the blog since the wedding! I can't believe it's already been 4 months. So far the married life is great. Vince and I are having a lot of fun living together and being married.

The house is looking great, and we're still doing work to it. In a few weeks Gary is coming over to help with our newest project. We're turning the basement into an OSU themed entertainment/rec room, so new paint, carpet, furniture, TV and bar! I figure Vince and his friends can play video games down in the basement instead of the family room from now on.

We're looking forward to our 1st Christmas as newlyweds. We put up a little x-mas tree and other decorations around the house. Mostly hand-me-down decorations from our parents, but we have to start somewhere.

Other good news, Mariella and Mark are expecting their first child this coming April! They aren't going to find out if it's a boy or girl, but we're sooo happy for them. Vince and I are planning for another addition to the family this spring as well... a puppy! We're looking into French Bulldogs, but want to wait until Spring time so the weather will be warmer to start training.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
The Sidoti's

Aloha!

2009-08-26T15:34:00.002-04:00

Well the wedding was a complete success! The food was great, the band on point, and the atmosphere was perfect. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did and we thank everyone for sharing our special day with us.

It is our third day of our honeymoon (although the first day was entirely spent traveling). Tonight is our first official Hawaiian Luau!

If anyone is interested, the photographers have posted a few shots to their website. Click here to check them out!!

It's Almost Here!

2009-08-11T13:48:00.003-04:00

Vince and I are super excited for the wedding next week. Everything is pretty much taken care of, we are just finalizing everything with all our vendors now that the final count is in - 371!

Yesterday my mom and Aunt Colleen put together the pew bows for the church and tonight my mom and I are going to Mrs. Sidoti's to finish the table seating assignments. Thursday my dad and I are meeting with the band to go over the timeline and this weekend we will be working away on the party favors. It's all about details now but luckily it's coming together nicely and I think the ceremony/reception will be great!

TV Time

2009-08-10T10:21:00.002-04:00

Last week our house transformed from a workshop into a livable home! We got new carpet installed and bedroom furniture delivered, so it's starting to smell a little less like drywall and more like a new home.

First order of business? TV shopping. Vince and Moser had to find the best deal and the best TV to mount on our fireplace. They came home with a 52" flat panel and were so excited to put it up. It seriously was like Christmas day for them. Gary came over with all his tools and they put it together nicely. Then they hooked up the surround sound system that Vince got as a gift for his bachelor party from his family.

All was perfect, but we needed an action packed DVD with loud scenes to test out the surround sound, so Vince went out and bought one. The guys even cleaned up when they were done installing everything- Moser was vacuuming and Gary was clearing everything out of the room to make way for the 1 couch we have in the house (compliments of brother-in-law Mark). It was just like being in a movie theater, it was very cool.

Next order of business? Cable TV and DVR.

Bachelor and Bachelorette Weekend

2009-07-26T21:53:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was the long awaited Bachelor Party in Vegas and the Bachelorette Party @ Put-In-Bay. Vince and I both had a lot friends and family that came to celebrate and

it was an awesome time that we'll never forget! We're so lucky to have such good friends and family! Can't wait for the wedding!

Hotel and After Party

2009-07-26T21:38:00.002-04:00

It's not a party without an "after party", right!? After the reception we have an after party room booked for those who aren't ready to call it a night. Although it will be a long day, midnight seems so early. So we have the room all night, no time limit. Can't wait!

Also, many people are staying the night at the hotel so they can stay out and celebrate with us! The special room rates are $72/night so take advantage of it!

Details, Details, Details

2009-07-13T14:44:00.002-04:00

The last month is always the busiest, I know. (40 days and counting) Last week I met with my cousin Chrissy to do some trial make-up runs - she's doing my make-up on the day of the wedding. She did an awesome job, I can't wait for her to do it on the big day.

My mom and I also met with the florist (ironically named Vince) to go over all the final details for the bouquets, centerpieces, and all that pretty stuff. The colors are yellow and fuchsia, so everything is going to look really cool.

Last Saturday my Aunt Cathy threw me a Hawaiian cocktail party/personal shower for the girls in our families. It was so much fun and I got a lot of nice things for the Hawaiian honeymoon. This weekend is the long awaited Vegas Bachelor/Put-In-Bay Bachelorette parties. We're really looking forward to it, it's going to be a blast.

Tomorrow Vince and I are meeting with his Godmother Grace and her husband Nick who is making our wedding cake and pastries. Whoever hasn't had Nick's bakery is missing out, but there will be plenty at the wedding!

Wedding Announcments

2009-07-13T14:39:00.002-04:00

Look for our wedding announcement in the July 8th issue of The Gazette (Broadview Hts., Brecksville, Parma, Seven Hills and Independence area). Also, we will be in the July 25th issue of The Plain Dealer!

1-Year Engagement

2009-07-02T14:32:00.002-04:00

A year ago today Vince proposed, and it seems like it was just last month. So I guess we're not "Just Engaged" anymore since it's been a year, right? A 13-month engagement is a good length of time, because we can take our time planning and enjoy the moment.

The summer is flying by but we're keeping busy and having a lot of fun. We're currently painting inside the house to get prepared for moving in (well, Gary is doing most of it). Today we pick out our carpet colors and in a few weeks some of the furniture will be delivered! It's amazing the sort of stuff we get excited about now.

Vince and I are looking forward to our bachelor/bachelorette parties that are coming up in a few weeks! I'm going to Put-in-Bay and Vince is going to Vegas, so we're both going to have a blast. 7-more weeks until the big day, we can't wait for it to be here! Have a nice 4th of July weekend!

Jump in

2009-06-24T22:25:00.008-04:00

Since we got our house 4 weeks ago, Vince and I (mostly Vince) have been spending a lot of time trying to revive our pool. It was left uncovered and broken down all year, so with lots of chemicals and TLC here are the before and after shots:

BEFORE: Notice the duck swimming around in the swampy/Lake Erie looking water

AFTER: Crystal clear and you can see the bottom of the pool! Vince and Moser took their first swim today to test it out.

Engagement Pictures

2009-06-15T23:01:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Vince and I went to Columbus to take our engagement pictures. I figured since we met in Columbus at OSU, it would be nice to have pictures taken there. We took lots of pictures and did some cool poses so Vince and I both had fun. Our photographers did an awesome job; take a look at some of our pictures here. I can't wait to see how the wedding photos turn out!

Wedding Shower

2009-06-08T00:01:00.011-04:00

Today Vince and I had our wedding shower and it was so nice! The weather was perfect, the food was good and all our family came to see us - it couldn't have been better! Thank you to all who came! Here are some pictures of the day:

Got the keys!

2009-05-28T21:13:00.003-04:00

Please sign here

2009-05-28T14:12:00.003-04:00

Vince and I are official homeowners! We signed the stacks of closing papers for about 1-hour yesterday and then celebrated by going to dinner at the Longhorn. Today we get the keys. Tomorrow we realize what we got ourselves into.

Closing Time

2009-05-23T14:19:00.002-04:00

Vince and I officially close on this house this coming Wednesday and get the keys on Thursday - we are so excited! Perfect timing to get that pool up and running so we can enjoy it all summer.

In wedding news, the invites came in and they look awesome. Things are really starting to fly by and we're looking forward to the big day!

99 Days!

2009-05-15T14:43:00.000-04:00

That's right folks, we have hit double digits in the wedding day count down! Everything is going according to plan (except I am yet to see Carli practice her cooking skills). Another important milestone: two months until the Vegas bachelor party!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:33:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Today we celebrated Jared's first communion and had the family over for dinner. It was a beautiful day and a lot of the family came over, so it was nice seeing everyone. Today was also Mark and Mariella's 1-year wedding anniversary so congrats to them!

We are about 85% done with the "house buying" process. We were expecting it to be a long process, but it's actually going quickly. I think it's just because the bank wants to get it out of their hands which is fine by us! The final close date is 5/22, but we've got time to move in - there's still a lot of work to do!

Yesterday my mom, Aunt Tina and I took a trip to the bridal store in West Layfayette for my gown alterations. Turns out that the dress fits perfect and I don't really need any altering! Just a minor adjustment, then it's ready for pick up. I also ordered my veil and bridesmaids shoes from this store so I'm hoping that I'll only have to make 1 more trip back there since it's a 2 hour drive. Only 104 days to go!

Our New Home!

2009-04-18T13:05:00.003-04:00

Vince and I finally found "the house". We put our bid in this Tuesday and found out yesterday that the bank had accepted our offer! It's located in a nice developement in Brunswick near the Strongsville border so my parents are happy that we are close. We can't wait to move in and make it our home!

Happy Spring!

2009-04-09T15:53:00.002-04:00

I'm so happy spring is finally here. It will start getting warmer, and the wedding will be here before we know it. Plans for the shower and wedding are going smooth. Some of the bridesmaids and my cousins are getting together to make the shower invites next week so that will be fun. A friend/graphic designer I work with, Lucy, is designing my wedding invites, ceremony programs, table cards, etc. and they look awesome - she did an amazing job. Natalie's flower girl dress was just delivered and my cousin, Bridget (Nat's mom) said it fits her perfect - we just hope she doesn't grow significantly within the next 4 months! This weekend Vince, me and Matt (best man) are going to the American Commodore to pick out the tux style/shoes/etc. for the rest of the boys in the wedding.

Searching for houses is becoming exhausting, but we're still very excited to get one. A few weeks ago we found a gorgeous house in Brunswick that we wanted to put a bid on, but someone beat us to it. So we're still out searching for "the one". Lets just hope we get one before we get married so we can move out of our parent's houses!

Pre-Cana

2009-03-23T21:29:00.002-04:00

The month of March is flying by, mostly because we've had so much going on. Vince and I had a lot of family birthdays this month; I turned 25 and we had two big ones - Mariella turned 30 and Mrs. Sidoti celebrated her 60th!

Other than that, Vince and I have been actively house hunting. We got pre-approved for a loan and we're ready to find a nice home. This week we are looking at houses in Strongsville and Brunswick.

Last Saturday Vince and I had pre-cana day at St. Basils Church in Brecksville and it was really nice. Although it was from 8:45am-6pm, the day went by fast and we enjoyed listening to married couples tell their stories. There were also a few engaged couples there that Vince and I knew so that was nice. Tomorrow we have our 1st out of 3 meetings with a married couple from St. Patricks who we were paired up with to complete our pre-marriage course. We will go to their house and they will talk to us about their experience being married. This is a new thing that St. Pats is doing (having married parishioners volunteer to spend time with engaged couples), so Vince and I are the first couple to try it out. My mom asked if I was nervous going to a stranger's house to talk for 2 hours and I said, "I'm sure Vince will talk the whole time, so I'm not worried about it."

House Hunting

2009-02-26T10:14:00.005-05:00

Vince and I are very anxious to have a house of our own. We have been working with a realtor and recently got pre-approved for a loan, so we are getting excited. We are looking to settle in Strongsville and Brunswick and there are a few houses we have our eye on, but we probably won't end up buying until May.

Other than that, wedding planning is going good! I took in my engagement ring to get the wedding band made, so I haven't had my ring for 3 weeks and it definitely feels funny to not have it on. It probably took us 10 minutes to find a wedding band for Vince, he wanted a Tungsten ring and it looks really nice.

In a few weeks we have our pre-cana day at St. Basils in Brecksville. It's an all day marriage preparation course, so I'm not sure what to expect. After that, we will begin a marriage program through St. Patricks - the church we are getting married in. We have to meet with married couples who are a members of the parish and just talk with them to hear first hand about their experiences being married and what advice they have for us. We're both looking forward to that, because we think it will be very interesting.

Hawaii here we come!!

2009-01-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

Last week Carli and I went to Mark and Mariella's where we booked our honeymoon! Mark and his mother were gratious enough to let us use their timeshare points to book our stay at an awesome Hilton resort on the Big Island of Hawaii! We are so thankful to Markiella for giving us such an awesome wedding gift!

Meet the Rest of the Gang

2009-01-21T22:53:00.017-05:00

Vince and I chose 4 handsome ushers, 2 Jr. Groomsmen and of course the adorable ring bearer and flower girl.

ANTHONY LUPICA, USHER

Anthony is Vince's first cousin and he just turned 13. He will be the youngest of the ushers but he certainly won't be shy to escort the cute young ladies to their seats.

GARY DEMPSEY, USHER

Gary and Vince have been friends since grade school and we are both excited to have him involved in the wedding! He recently graduated from The University of Cincinnati and moved back to Cleveland, which is good because we don't really want him to leave. He has so much fun energy and I'm sure the ladies will be lining up for him to usher them to their seats!

JASON SCHREIBER, USHER

Jason is my cousin and has also become good friends with Vince over the years, so there was no doubt that he'd be in our wedding. He recently graduated from college and is working at Mary Mount where he sometimes runs into Mariella. Not only are we looking forward to his ushering services, but he's got some great dance moves that he'll be showing off on the limo bus and at the wedding.

SHAWN CALVEY, USHER

Shawn is also a cousin of mine and has become close with Vince over the years. He is currently attending college at Tri-C and lives in Cleveland. Although Shawn isn't entirely sure what an Usher is supposed to do, he's really excited for the party bus....and to be in the wedding.

JARED CALVEY, JUNIOR GROOMSMAN

Jared is my youngest cousin and he's also my God Son. He is 8 years old and will be making his 1st Communion this year. I was in his mother's wedding when I was his age! It means a lot to me to have him a part of my wedding.

ROBERT MANIACI, JUNIOR GROOMSMAN

Robert and Jared have a lot in common. Robert is 8 years old, he is making his 1st Communion this year and he is Vince's God Son. He is looking forward to being in the wedding and looking handsome in his tuxedo.

NATALIE AND ALEX MISCHAK, FLOWER GIRL AND RING BEARER

Natalie and Alex belong to my cousin, Bridget. They are twins and will be 5 years old this April. Both are very excited to dress up and be in the wedding, Natalie made a necklace the other day and told Bridget, "this is for Carli because she's a beautiful bride." They will definitely steal the show because they are so adorable!

A Wedding Wonderland

2009-01-18T16:14:00.004-05:00

Despite the snow and sub-zero temperatures, Vince and I recently booked our videographer and registered for the groomsmen tuxedos. I didn't relize how many guys are going to be in our wedding until we registered: the groom, the dads, the ring bearer, 4 ushers, 2 jr. groomsmen and 8 groomsmen! We also booked the location for our wedding shower; it will be at the Sleepy Hollow golf course in Brecksville which is really nice.

Yesterday Vince and I went to Target to start registering for our wedding, and we were probably there for 3 1/2 hours. It was a lot of fun, Vince tried to register for a NBA sized basketball hoop and X-BOX 360.. I registered mostly for cooking appliances so I should probably start learning how to cook. Here is Vince scanning the toaster oven.

Today my mom, Erin and Kelly went to a bridal show at the IX-center just to look around and try to win free stuff. I actually played "Plinko" at the American Commodore booth (where we just registered for the groomsmen tuxedos) and got $50 off our order! We also ran into our photographer and bridesmaid dress lady so it was cool to see them. There were tons of wedding cakes to sample and I found a cake design that I think Vince will really like:

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T15:44:00.002-05:00

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years! I can't believe that we're already into 2009, last year went by so fast. I'm sure the next 8 months will fly by and the wedding will be here before we know it.

Vince and I had a nice Christmas with our families. We celebrated Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family, then on Christmas Day we had dinner at Roseanne's house, Vince's cousin. This was the first year that we stated getting gifts that were labeled for "Vince and Carli " instead of just "Carli" or "Vince". So I guess you can say that we're already getting used to sharing things! A lot of the gifts will be useful for our new house. I have been collecting things for when Vince and I get a house and they are stashed in the spare bedroom, my Aunt Tina's basement and now the attic! As you can tell, I am really excited to get our own house! I even went to Target to get all the discounted Christmas items for decorating next year, hey why not?

For New Year's Eve, Vince and I went to Michaud's in Strongsville with some friends and that was a good time. We are very much looking forward to this year and we wish you all a happy new year!

Rock n' Roll

2008-12-08T20:56:00.006-05:00

Vince and his friends had a "meeting" last week to discuss plans for the bachelor party - Vegas baby! Murphy was called in via conference call from Minnesota to join in on the discussion. As for the bachelorette party, we are planning on getting a few cabins at Put-in-Bay the same weekend of the bachelor party. But that's not all - we were also thinking about doing a Cleveland bachelorette party too with the Aunts and cousins. Hey, why not?

This Saturday my mom and I went to the middle of no where to order my gown and get fitted, which was really exciting. This dress store is amazing, they have over 3,000 cocktail/prom dresses and so many bridal gowns. Good thing I already had my dress picked out because I didn't even want to browse through those racks. I called the store today to check to see when my dress would be in so I can plan another trip out there, I'm thinking around April or March. Oh no, it'll be here next week - I wasn't ready for that, but that's cool.

Today my parents and I met with Ralph Johnson, the band leader of The Chosen Few Band for dinner. We were almost there for 2 hours talking and planning and it was great. I'm really looking forward to having them play at our wedding and I think everyone will be very pleased with them!

The Last Anniversary

2008-12-02T20:04:00.002-05:00

Vince and I had our 5-year anniversary yesterday. We didn't get to do anything for it because Vince had to leave for work training, so we celebrated it by going out to dinner a few weeks ago. Once we get married, our "dating anniversary" won't count anymore and we'll have to start all over!

Vince is in Indianapolis for work training for the next 3 weeks, so I'm going to keep busy by doing some Christmas shopping and wedding things. This past weekend the bridesmaids and I went looking for bridesmaids dresses. There were a few that we really liked and eventually all agreed on one. I don't want to give too much away, but the one we picked is not a typical bridesmaid dress and it's really cool.

This Saturday my mom and I are driving to the bridal store to get fitted for my gown. The store is about 2 hours away, but I'm very excited to finally order the dress!

A Productive Week

2008-11-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

A lot has been going on in the past 2-weeks. Vince just started a great new job with Eli Lilly doing pharmaceutical sales and I've just been keeping busy as usual. This week we booked the florist, chair cover vender, the limo and the band! Searching for a band was the most difficult task. My mom and Aunt Tina crashed many weddings and fundraisers to find the perfect band, so thank you to them!! The band is called "The Chosen Few" and I know they will be great at the wedding. They play all types of music: Motown, Dance, Rock, Top hits, even some Italian polkas! Let me know if you have any song requests!

The Black Pearl

2008-10-30T22:28:00.004-04:00

Vince and I are way too excited about our party bus, The Black Pearl. It can hold 26 passengers, has 2 Flat Sceen HDTVs, 3 full bars that can fit up to 300 beer cans (or pop cans if you prefer).. so we might just skip the reception and hang out in the limo all night.. kidding.

The search is on

2008-10-20T23:42:00.003-04:00

Now that my cousin's wedding is over, I realized how much planning I have to do! Last month my mom, grandma, Kelly, Erin and I went dress shopping. It was nice trying on beautiful dresses, but I didn't find the one I wanted. I saw this amazing gown in a magazine and couldn't stop thinking about it, so my mom and I drove out to a small dress shop in Hartville (Amish country) to try on the dress and I loved it!

Then yesterday we went to a bridal show and it was very crowded. I mainly went to check out limo buses, photographers and videographers. I scheduled my photographer and I'm so excited to work with them - they do great work! My parents are checking out a few bands this weekend, so hopefully we will have the entertainment booked soon too.

Ryan's wedding

2008-10-12T01:02:00.002-04:00

Carli's cousin Ryan married his long time girlfriend Alicia tonight. It wad a great time at a great venue. This entry is the first from my new blackberry and Carli is yelling at me to stop! With that said...congrats to Ryan and Alicia...thanks for the great time!

The Groomsmen Lineup

2008-10-08T19:42:00.010-04:00

MATT MOSER, BEST MAN
Matt has been one of my best friends since 6th grade English class! Matt and I continued our friendship through high school and college. He comes from a great family and has always been a dependable friend. Matt has been 'Best Man Material' from day one!

MIKE MANGANO, GROOMSMAN
Mike is Carli's younger brother. Mike and I have a lot in common; from sports to music. I hope he is as excited to finally have a brother as I was when my sister got married.

MARK SZCZEPANIK, GROOMSMAN
Mark is my brother-in-law. He has been a great addition to our family and I was honored to be one of his groomsmen. Mark has been my go-to guy when it comes to wedding Q&A.

MARK SCHREIBER, GROOMSMAN
Mark is one of Carli's closest cousins, and has welcomed me into their family over the passed 5 years. Mark and I went to high school together. Choosing Mark as a groomsman was a no-brainer.

RICKY JASKOLSKI, GROOMSMAN
Ricky is one of my closest cousins; in fact he is the closest to me in age. I still remember the day he was brought home from the hospital. He is currently a freshman in college and has grown into a great kid. He has made us all very proud, and I am honored to have him participate in our wedding.

DAVE TURK, GROOMSMAN
Dave came to our high school as a freshman. From day one, we were great friends. Dave attended Ohio State as well where we continued to be great friends. Dave always brings his brand of humor and fun; easy choice to have in that limo with us!

DAN SALUPO, GROOMSMAN
I met Dan when we were about 7 years old. We played soccer together and have been great friends ever since (even though I didn't invite him to my 14th birthday party; I'll never live that one down).

JIM MURPHY, GROOMSMAN
Jim and I have been best friends since 8th grade. He would always blow his nose before class, then ask me if he had any leftover 'clingers' left in his nostrils. Those who know him, know that sums him up pretty well! Jim moved to Minnesota this summer for a job opportunity. We are already looking forward to the wedding (as an excuse to see him!).

The Bridesmaids Line up

2008-09-16T23:07:00.016-04:00

ERIN CALVEY, MAID OF HONOR
Erin is my cousin and best friend. We grew up together and are very close, so I always knew that she'd be my Maid of Honor. Erin played a major role in the engagement, as she helped Vince pick out my engagement ring. Erin lives in North Royalton and she just gave birth to a baby girl, Raegan Ann!

KELLY DZIK, BRIDESMAID
Kelly is also my cousin (Erin's older sister) and she's like an older sister to me. I was actually a bridesmaid in her wedding back in 2001. Kelly lives in Brooklyn Heights and has 2 little boys, Jeremy and Jake.

MARIELLA SZCZEPANIK, BRIDESMAID
Mariella is Vince's sister and she just recently got married this past May! So it's great because she's fresh with ideas and helpful tips after planning a huge wedding of her own. I'm definitely looking forward to having her as my sister-in-law! Mariella lives in Parma with her husband Mark.

ANNIE GANGL, BRIDESMAID
Annie and I met our Freshman year at OSU and have remained best friends ever since. Most of my best college memories involve Annie, but we won't get into that. We graduated together with the same major and lived together in Columbus a year after graduation. Annie is from Medina but currently lives in Denver with our good friend Colleen Rossi.

ASHLEY VEDRODY, BRIDESMAID
Ashley and I met and became friends in 7th grade at Center Junior High. She went to Kent State after high school and traveled to Spain to study abroad. After college Ashley went to Charlotte to teach high school Spanish, but just recently moved to Chicago.

LIZ SHOULDERS, BRIDESMAID
Lizzy and I have known eachother since 3rd grade when I moved to Strongsville. I have so many funny memories growing up with Liz: from marching band to riding our bikes everywhere, highschool crushes and parties, the list goes on. Liz lives in Strongsville and recently got engaged to get married in October 2009!

MARY DAYMUT, BRIDESMAID
Mary and I became friends at track and field practice in 8th grade. We went to highschool together and also Ohio State where we graduated with the same major. It was nice because Mary lived close to me on campus and we even had some classes together. Mary currently lives in Chicago with 2 roommates.

VICTORIA FELICIANO, BRIDESMAID
Victoria and I became friends in 7th grade and have been friends ever since. After highschool she got a soccer scholarship at Stoney Brook University in NY and recently received her Masters at DePaul. Victoria currently lives in Chicago and is still playing soccer!

How I Popped the Question.. to my Bridesmaids

2008-09-15T22:24:00.006-04:00

I was so excited to ask my girls to be bridesmaids because I had this really cool idea of "popping the question". My mom and I got little wooden boxes, painted them, put a big light up engagement ring in it with a note asking, "Will you be my Bridesmaid?" We packaged and mailed them out to each girl and throughout the week they started getting them... and of course they all said yes!

Engagement party cake

2008-09-15T14:33:00.003-04:00

Thank you to my Godfather Nick! I think I am going to send Carli to him for some baking tips!

What I have to look forward too...

2008-09-02T19:14:00.004-04:00

Carli was practicing her baking skills. Believe it or not, this began as a cookie sheet of chocolate chip cookies.

Yikes!

It's official

2008-08-18T22:04:00.003-04:00

I told Vince I wasn't going to post anything to the blog until I had the church and reception hall booked. Well, as of 7PM today we are officially getting married on Saturday, August 22, 2009!

We booked the reception hall last week after hall hunting for 2 weeks straight. This place is really nice, it's a good location and the food is amazing - plus it's in a hotel, so it's convienent for people to spend the whole night there. Then after the reception, they're giving us an "after party" meeting room to continue the festivities until 3:30AM - which I'm really excited about, I just hope I won't be too tired.

As for the church, Vince and I really wanted to get married in a church that was significant to us. I belong to St. John's in Strongsville and used to go to St. Patricks. Vince belongs to St. Basil's in Brecksville and sometimes goes to Holy Rosary in Little Italy. Out of all these churches St. Patrick's was the one we chose to get married in. It's where I was baptized, had my first Holy Communion and went to grade school.

So, Vince and I met with Father Greg today to start our marriage file. He just talked with us, asked us questions about our interests, family, hobbies, etc. He asked for our phone numbers and Vince prepped him for the satanic first 3 digits of his cell number, "666". Vince goes, "Ok, you're not going to like this one..." It pretty much was an interview to make sure we're serious about getting married, and it's not about Vince wanting to marry me for my money. I think we passed. Should be smooth sailing from here on out.

And the search is on

2008-07-30T10:33:00.002-04:00

Carli took off this week to search reception and ceremony venues with her mom. Carli and I looked at a place last night...not good. I want good food. Carli wants a good bar! ha

And the date is...

2008-07-22T21:30:00.001-04:00

August 29, 2009....Tentatively!

Parents Meeting

2008-07-17T23:59:00.003-04:00

So Carli's parents came over tonight for dinner. After stuffing our faces for a solid two hours, the eight of us (yes, we requested Mark and Mariella be present; mainly for Mark's witty commentary) discussed wedding plans. It was nice to get everyone together for the first time. The excitement seemed to grow as the night went on (except for Carli's dad. The poor guy finally began realizing how much dough he was about to shell out!). Next step, sit down with Mama Sidoti to see how we can widdle down 1,000,000 relatives to a workable number.

Us Throughout the Years

2008-07-12T18:19:00.001-04:00

Click on the play button to see a slide show of us.

The Ring

2008-07-10T16:04:00.001-04:00

How I Popped the Question

2008-07-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

As most everyone knows, Carli works for an ad agency who does work for Things Remembered. My brother-in-law set the wheels in motion to have the Things Remembered store in Strongsville Mall post an in-store sign that said 'Carli, Will You Marry Me?'. Unfortunately, I had her engagement ring in my possession for far too long (3 weeks) and was beginning to get very ansey. Instead, I decided to post a picture of the ring on Carli's online picture album (webshots.com). Knowing what her reaction would be, I told her that I saw some unusual pictures on her site. She quickly ran to her computer to witness for herself. She yelled, "What the heck? I didn't post these pictures! Someone must have hacked into my account!". I then told her to look at the last picture (of the ring). She saw it and again yelled, "What the heck?!". She turned around to see me on one knee, with an empty ring box (throughout all the commotion, the ring had been thrown from the box and onto her bedroom floor). The rest is history!