Meet the Teacups

Hello again Hive, I’d first like to introduce you to my amazing fiancé. A self-proclaimed surf junkie, Mr. Hot Tea feels most at home in the water. While on vacay, locals and tourists alike are impressed with his surf-ability. Check him out at one of his favorite spots in Cabo:

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He’s been surfing for almost 25 years and has at least 50 more in him! That would put him over 90 years old, and I know he'll get there because longevity runs in his family.  When he’s not on a surfboard or planning his next warm water trip, Mr. Hot Tea loves Cowboys football, poker with the boys and a good round of golf. Hot Tea Fun facts: 1) he’s never made the surfing pilgrimage to Hawaii and 2) although he’s never owned a dog, he has a strange affinity for all things beagle.  He says it’s because Uno the Beagle won ‘Best in Show’ in the 2008 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and I say it's a little weird. We all have our quirks, I guess.

This one’s for Mr. Hot Tea:

Image via www.whynotad.com

The next member of our family is our fuzzy feline friend Ollie the Cat. He loves to sleep, eat breakfast at 6am, and snuggle. We have thousands of photos of this looker, and it goes without saying that he is VERY spoiled. He is also very terrible at hiding...

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Last but not least, there’s me, Miss Teacup. I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as girly girl after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the federal government. 

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My favorite hobby is sleep, which makes me an obvious choice as Ollie’s snuggle buddy, but less so for making his breakfast. An introvert in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to undo 34 years of Type A conditioning.

I’m also over-analytical, which is great for researching and compiling information (google search - heeyy!) but less so for decision making -- hence the reason wedding planning is such an overwhelming task for me. Thank goodness for Mr. Hot Tea! He makes decisions when I cannot and takes wedding tasks off my list with a cheerful heart. I’m a lucky girl! He also has the patience of a saint...teaching me to surf is no picnic, but at least I look the part:

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My vision for our wedding would be Tiffany and Kate Spade meet Martha Stewart for a beachy fun day in Santa Cruz. When I asked Mr. Hot Tea to describe our wedding in 5 words, he came back with ‘I love my Teacup forever.’ Do you see why I'm marrying this man?! He also wants our wedding to be fun-filled festivities with family and friends.

Mr. Hot Tea is a cradle Catholic and I am a recently baptized convert. Though our spiritual experience vastly differs, we support and encourage each other's faith and attend Mass together regularly. Our ceremony will take place in the church where his parents were married, his father and grandfather are buried, and we have joined as parishioners. The church rests in the valley of the Santa Cruz mountains, and its charismatic and joyful priest solidified our choice to get married there.

Our full Catholic mass wedding will include the Filipino veil, cord, and coin ceremonies. We also plan to give our parents Hawaiian flower leis as a symbol of honor and respect.

The historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk serves as our reception site and I can’t wait to take photos on the roller coaster! I’ll also dance a wedding hula choreographed especially for my groom.

I'm constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials and invite you to peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller-coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required!

Image via www.mercurynews.com / 

Photo credit Santa Cruz County CVC - Mark Barnes

Whew, that's a lot of info to digest! Not to worry, we'll slow things down over a cup or two going forward.

How about you? I'm excited to get to know you all better! What common ground do you share with us?

A Very Merry Unbirthday to Me!

Hello, Hive! I'm Miss Teacup, extending you a warm welcome to my cozy little corner of WB. I must admit feeling like I've just been spun sick with giddiness on the Mad Hatter's ride at Disneyland. Nevertheless, we have some celebrating to do!

Image via deviantart.com / Illustration by Inflatable Banana

If you know the song, sing along:

I'm a little teacup, short and stout.

Here is my handle, here is my --- ? ---

Whoops. That's teaPOT, you say? Okay, let's try another tune.

Video via youtube.com / Music by Black Eyed Peas

Livin life, feelin free

That's how it's supposed to be

Come join my festivites

Celebrate like Imma be

Lyrics via www.sing365.com

Had I done a happy dance, the Black Eyed Peas couldn't have written a better song for the occasion. But my reaction was unlike many of the Bees before me who danced and giggled after reading those magic words – “you'd be a great addition to the Weddingbee team.”

Instead, I felt an overwhelming wave of shock and disbelief and instantly burst into tears. Happy tears for sure, and the smile came later. It's for the best that you know some fun facts about me upfront, dear friends. 

Fun fact #1: I’m a crier.

"Happy Tears" via www.slate.com / Artist Roy Lichtenstein

In the days after submitting my application, I checked my email constantly. It felt like at least once a minute. I read and re-read all the board threads about blog application response times here with no clarity about when Pengy's email would arrive. Honestly, I wanted to get my rejection as soon as possible so I could move on to obsessing about some other thing. 

Waiting to see a doctor, I clicked through my inbox for the billionth time. Wedding spam, news updates, Weddingbee application. It said something about "the fun details!" And that's when the tears spilled. I regained composure and made a BEEline for my car. 

Image via 411newyork.org

I was in identity crisis, who to BEE? A call to Mr. Fiance went straight to voicemail, so I dialed up the 2nd hotline, my mom.  She chose Teacup or Petit Four. 30 minutes later, Mr. Fiance liked Dalmation, Unicycle or Honey, and you've already met Miss Honey here so that wouldn't do. Another friend in the know liked Ticket based on our reception venue...

Fun fact #2: When it comes to anything related to weddings, I am completely indecisive.

Although I'm embarrassed to share this, my swooning over Teacup started early in the application waiting process. I begin and end every day with a cuppa tea since weaning myself off coffee and diet coke last year. This is my daily habit helper:

Keurig drink machine

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Fun Fact #3: I love tea. Hot or cold, I prefer it green and unsweetened. With soy milk if it happens to be matcha.

And maybe, just maybe, there already exists a recently bookmarked folder of "TEACUPS" for potential reference to quotes, DIY projects and photoshoots. I knew I could either be inviting jinxes or good juju, but I couldn't help myself.

Fun Fact #4: Google search is this girl's internet BFF.

Look at all this teacup inspiration just waiting to be revealed!

Image via kitschyliving.tumblr.com

Image via blog.craftzine.com / Craft by Jenny's Projects

Image and photography via simplybloomphotography.com

Now you know the story of how this Teacup came into BEE-ing. I'll look forward to introducing the Teacup family soon. 

And thanks for coming along for the ride, there's a roller coaster involved! 

Until next time, tell me - coffee or tea? I'd also love to hear suggestions about your favorite tea beverages. Hot, cold, black, green, bottled, loose leaf - I'm always up for sipping something new!