Blürg Career Updates

A lot has been happening with both of us career wise and I thought it nice to update you folks on our past/current/upcoming projects.

Jürgen recently closed Amadeus at Chicago Shakespeare. It was a lovely production directed by Broadway director Gary Griffin. Jürg understudied the title role and performed as a member of the terribly underused ensemble. Oh well it was a steady job for four months, hard to find in the life of an artist.

I have just started rehearsals for The Snow Queen at Victory Gardens. I had the pleasure of doing the show last year and I am excited to remount it. I play a small child which is not surprising, plus I get to wear a funny hat.

We are just two days in but I am excited to see the show unfold. We have new castmates and new music. I will keep you posted!

I mentioned in a previous post booking two national commercials in one week. It's true and my fingers are tightly crossed that they actually air! The first was for a product called Zune 3.0 it's essentially Microsofts version of an iPod. I got a call at 11:30am on Halloween from my agent asking if I was available to shoot a commercial that afternoon. Thankfully I was free, but how on earth did this happen considering I had never audition for said commercial. Apparently I had been cast off of my headshot-this never happens! I zipped downtown, having no idea what I would be doing or even what the commercial was for. I soon found out it was not only a national commercial but it would feature the band The Kings of Leon and the rapper Common...and me apparently. I was even more shocked to discover that I had lines...lots of them! I wasn't informed of this until minutes before I was to shoot. It was an insane experience, and I literally have no idea what I said or how I did. Still, thankful for the opportunity nonetheless.

The second features my hands, and it's for Glade scented Candles. In one I am trying to light a candle, in another I am putting quarters into a coin slot on the candle. The whole conceit is "why spend $25 on a boutique candle when you can spend $6.95 on one from Glade...that would be like burning money." Clever huh? My audition for this consisted of meeting the producer and putting my hand up to hers. Intense.

Jürgen is free for a bit until next spring when he travels to Milwaukee to work with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre on their production of The Cherry Orchard. I will be visiting Milwaukee quite a bit!

Ok those are a few updates. I cannot believe it's November already.

More blogs coming soon....I promise!

The Original is back!

I have been thankful for version 2 of the Blürg but I am pleased to announce that the original Wedding Blürg is back in action.

So...for the millions of readers who certainly visit this site every day....head over to the original

www.theweddingblurg.blogspot.com

I promise to post more regularly as we head down the home strech!

Peace out!

Hot off the Presses!

The much anticipated engagement photos are here! Many were taken, few will be selected. The main object of these photos will be to make a guest book for attendee's to sign at our reception. However my mom may pick one from the bunch for an engagement announcement. Here are a select few...some good, some goofy. To see the entire line up go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jurgenhooper/EngagementPhotos#

We found these cool iron structures while on our way to a 4th of July party. They are fun to play in.

I think this looks like it could have been taken in Paris. It wasn't. We were in Chicago.
You gotta have at least one in front of the bean. It was raining by this point.
He is trying to bite my ear and I think his expression is hilarious!
Notice the change in attire, and more importantly the change in weather!
Amazing what a little sunlight can do....
We were standing on a dock full of goose crap. Yep, it's true. Anything for the shot.
Two by the lilly pond.
I call this Sweet....
And Sly....
Tiny and not so tiny feet.
Out by the "Point". Check out my sun dress....it was that warm! Who knew?
Kind of looks like a prom shot. And I think we could pass for high schoolers too...
I love these gold shoes. They are falling apart but I love them....

So here is just a smattering of photos. None of which will actually be used for our guest book....we are keeping those a secret. Plus we still have yet to take our night shots, which means even more fabulous photos are on their way!

We LOVED working with our Photographer Kevin Weinstein, and we cannot wait to have him shoot our wedding.

Happy Viewing!

We got Sunshine!

Hooray!

We were finally able to take our engagement photos today. Whew.

The day began at 8 a.m. (sheesh), but we put on our game faces and got to work. We started around Lincoln park, followed by the Lilly Pond, The History Museum ending at "the point." The point being a beautiful spot by the water with a full view of the Chicago skyline. Lovely.

We had amazing weather: blue skies, cool breeze. You would never know it was October.

Pictures coming soon....so exciting!

Rain Rain go Away

Well we try as we might we just cannot seem to get Mother Nature to shower us with sunshine during our Engagement photo sessions.

Our original session was to be held on September 29th, however the heavens opened up around 10:00am and didn't let up for hours on end.

We rescheduled for yesterday, Tuesday October 7th, at 2:00pm. We managed to get about an hour worth of shots in before the heavens opened, yet again. Ugh.

So we are hoping the old adage "third times the charm" holds true on Friday morning. We will have to make ourselves all pretty at the ungodly hour of 8:00am, but we are troupers. Right now the forecast calls for sun.

Send us your good vibes on Friday morning!

I'm a Satisficer

My name is Blair, and I'm a Satisficer

("Hi Blair!")

While reading the October 2008 issue of Real Simple (love it!) I came across an article by Gretchen Ruebin titled "Ten Ways to be Happier." I was intrigued. In it I learned there are two types of decision makers: "Satificers" and "Maximizers".

She writes:

"Satisficers (yes, satisficers) make a decision once their criteria are met. When they find the hotel or the pasta sauce that has the qualities they want, they’re satisfied. Maximizers want to make the best possible decision. Even if they see a bicycle or a backpack that meets their requirements, they can’t make a decision until they’ve examined every option. Satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers. Maximizers expend more time and energy reaching decisions, and they’re often anxious about their choices. Sometimes good enough is good enough."

I occured to me, I have been a Satisficer throughout this entire planning process, and will do my darndest to stay that way. I have mentioned this before, but reading it tickled me pink...just a little bit.

I must clarify....I am not always a true Satisficer. You can ask my MOH about the time I spent hours debating over what type of purse to buy. Seriously I spent more time deciding on that than my wedding dress.

What brought on this clarity of choice in decision making? I haven't the slightest idea, but one must not question a good thing....that would be very Maximizer of me.

Smoking Guns....

Do you think my mom developed her fierce biceps from stuffing all these envelopes?

Here they are, your tickets to the main event. Our invitations. We had had them for awhile, but now they are all addressed and ready to be stuffed. I am so pleased with how they turned out. These lovelies will be mailed one month from today. In the meantime your mailboxes can pine...
Sorry the photo isn't bigger, but you get the idea. Simple and classy. Just the way I like it.

My mom and I were both in agreement from the get-go that neither of us wanted to address the invites. Our handwriting simply will not do, not to mention the idea of hand cramps make us cringe (I am a hand model after all!). So we hired a calligrapher.

Her name is Kim Diamond and she did a wonderful job! Should you wish to inquire about her services contact me! I will hook you up.

I scratched out some of the pertinent info, so no one gets stalked, or egged, or TP'd


Thank you Kim!

And thank you Mom for doing all that stuffing!

Bar none to Bar some...and then some....

I have determined the trick to a long lasting relationship is access to nice wine and good spirits at all times. Wine solves everything.

Therefore it is necessary to have a stock the bar shower. Thank you to the Taustine's, Butler's, Lawrence's and Penta's for hosting a delightful party for us this past weekend. Jürgen wishes he could have been there, but alas the stage calls and that is where he was. Thank you also to all who attended! It was wonderful seeing all of you and catching up, and I am so blessed to have so many lovely people who are excited and supportive.

Here are some fun photos!

Everyone needs a nice Tequila! Thank you to Bo for keeping track of the gifts!

Everyone also needs nice wine glasses!

Cheers everyone! Thank you!

A Woman's Right to Shoes: Update!

I live in one of the largest cities in America. Chicago is home to millions of people, thousands of amazing restaurants and never ending shopping options. One would surmise if you cannot find it here you just may not be able to find it anywhere.

Not so dear sirs! Not so!

While home in Louisville this weekend I found my wedding shoes! A thrilling experience it was. After dragging Jürgen up and down Michigan Avenue, scouring the Internet for hours on end, they were in the Bluegrass State all along!

Here they are:



As you may recall, I mentioned wanting shoes of the non-white variety. They are, indeed, white... but not for long! The shoe store from whence they came specializes is bridal shoes and can dye your chosen pair any color you wish! This means they are soon to be a lovely shade of sapphire blue. Pictures to follow.

Oh and by the by, these lovelies were modeled after the Carrie Bradshaw Monolo Blahnik in the episode bearing the same name of this blog! Perfect!

Eeek! Error Message!

Last week I attempted to publish the blürg. I thought it would be cool to own the domain www.theweddingblurg.com. I followed all the instructions and right as my prize was to be handed to me a nasty and oh so cruel error message appeared on my screen. My heart began to pound. Where had my blog gone? When I tried to visit it another nasty error message would appear. I was beyond devastated. I realize this is small potatoes in a world of economic bailouts, impending recessions, and harsh political talks....but it's the little things in life that get you through the tough times. I have really enjoyed keeping the blog and couldn't bear the thought of having lost all of our entries.

Luckily our blogger account remains intact and I still have access to all of our blürgs. I just do not know how to view them. It's very strange and I am not internet savvy enough to figure out the problem. According to the blogger help center we just have to sit tight and the the problem will be solved. Hmmmm...I will see about that.

So....in the meantime we have created version 2.0 of The Wedding Blurg. Should the original ever reappear we will head back there, but for now, come visit us often. New blürgs comin atcha every day!

Whew....

Making a list. Checking it twice.

I just counted and we are three months and eleven days away from the marriage day. My how time does fly. Honestly this year has been a blur…what happened to 2008?

From time to time Jürgen and I both like to reference various wedding checklists to keep the wedding planning on track and stress free. This morning I cross-referenced two checklists to see how we are doing. Here is what I found:

The Real Simple wedding guide suggests the following actions should be taken at the 4-month mark:

--Book the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner venues. If you're planning a day after brunch book that place as well: Done, Done, and maybe done? We are having a day after brunch but I need to send an e-mail to the host to see where we are at on that.

--Check on the wedding invitations: Done, and have been for MONTHS! (go team go!)

--Select and order the cake: Done

--Send your guest list to the host of your shower: Done

--Purchase shoes and start dress fittings: Oh my heart sinks looking at this. I must find shoes but wherever will I find the right ones? Will shoe shop this weekend, with mom. I will call the tailor recommended to me by a friend today to set up a time for next week.

--Schedule hair and make-up artists. Make a few trial appointments: I have a hair trial set up for this Sunday, however I need to secure the hair and make-up artists for the wedding. Will do this today (god bless my easy day job).

--Choose Songs. What do you want playing when the wedding party is introduced? What should play during dinner?: Done! We sent our list of what to and what not to play in last week. Since there will not be a sit down dinner there is no worry of what to play and, hate to say it, the wedding party will not get an introduction (sorry guys!).

--Plan welcome baskets for guests, if desired: I do desire this! Mom and I have come up with some good ideas but we need to finalize everything. It's on our list to tackle while I am home this weekend.

Theknot.com suggests I should accomplish these tasks between today and October 23rd:

-Book ceremony Musicians and send deposit: Not done. I did fax in the music form to the director of music yesterday. Awaiting reply.

-Finalize menu and service details with caterer: Not done yet. We have another tasting on October 20th, so it is highly unlikely all will be settled by the 23rd. However I a not worried about this.

-Research and purchase wedding insurance, if necessary: What?!?!?! I will research. Clearly this was not on my mind. I have a feeling I will deem it "unnecessary."

-Brides: Buy special lingerie if your gown requires, in time for first fitting: Hmmmm…nope don't think it does

-Confirm Delivery date of Bridesmaid Dress orders: Will give Rebecca's a call today.

-Start taking better care of yourself (eat right, exercise) so you look and feel great on your wedding day: We both exercised yesterday! However we followed our workout with hamburgers and fries…not so good?

-Talk to people you want to do special performances or readings: Halfway done, I have asked one of our readers. Jürg needs to ask the other. Jürgen…get on it!

-Arrange for all insurance policies to include you and your future spouse: health, auto, homeowners and life insurance: That all sounds incredibly boring but necessary. Will figure out how to do this.

-Send wedding bands out to be engraved: Paying for the wedding bands this weekend (while I am in Louisville). Will send them to be engraved then.

-Grooms: Choose and buy any accessories you will need: Done I think. Jürg bought his tie and the rest will be included with the tux rental. Will check with him on this.


In total: 18 tasks on the list
7 totally done
7 almost/halfway done
4 to DO!


Not bad. Let the crossing off begin!

Location Scouting

It's true, we have picked the locations for the wedding, the reception, even the honeymoon and rehearsal dinner. However, the locations we had yet to pick were the sights for our upcoming Engagement session. Considering it is transpiring in one week I thought it best to get on that, and quickly!

Our photographer, Kevin, has a series of spots he usually uses, however we wanted to have pictures taken in spots that either meant something to us personally, or places we just find oh so very pretty. Also, we thought it would be fun for Kevin to take photos in spots he usually doesn't visit. Perhaps he will find new inspiration in these new locales!

Some spots we may visit are:

The Lilly pond near the Lincoln Park Zoo...would you ever think this existed in the City of Chicago?
One more shot of the cool rocks in the Lilly Pond
A shot of a beautiful fountain in front of the Lincoln Park Conservatory.
The gardens by the Conservatory. Chicago has so many pretty parks.

I never knew these structures existed until Jürgen and I attend the 4th of July party this past year. There are several of them near Millennium park, which also boasts a plethora of photo opps.

There are several other spots we hope to have our photos taken at, but we did not snap them during our photo trip this weekend. We are both so excited about our upcoming session and cannot wait to show you all the photos!

Opening Night!

This past week Jürgen opened the highly anticipated Chicago Shakespeare production Amadeus. The production values were wonderful and showcased some spectacular performances. Even better, Chicago Shakes knows how to throw a nice opening night party. Here are some photo highlights:
What do we think of the Jurg with long hair? Should he grow it for the wedding?
The Blurg!
Roni and Jurgen, pouting, for no reason. After all there was free champagne!

Some cast members: Phillip (aka Venticelli), Robbie (aka Salleri, aka Brilliant), Kari (aka Opera Singer), Mackenze (aka Saucy Maid)

A Woman's Right to Shoes

Yes that is an SATC reference.

I, like Carrie Bradshaw, have an obsession with shoes. Nothing seems to lift you up when you are feeling down like a new pair of shoes. They can make or break an outfit. So you can understand my strong desire to find the right pair for my wedding. I have been searching high and lo for a while now. I even forced Jürgen to spend a few hours looking with me. No such luck so far.

At the moment I am not keen on wearing white shoes. After all my dress is white, why not switch it up. Of course a deep blue shoe would be my preference but I cannot seem to find many that I like. One style I am interested in is:

It's classy with a touch of sparkle. I wonder if the bow would be annoying though, plus I am not sure if the heel is high enough.

Then of course there is the Carrie Bradshaw dream shoe....
Mr. Big (ugh, do NOT like him. I am such an Aidan gal) gave Carrie these in the movie. I could die, seriously. They are so beautiful. Probably too bright, and oh yeah they are Manolo's so they cost the same as a black market kidney. No go. But if I could find a pair like them. Oh where or where would they be?

Naturally the next choice in color would be silver (I feel like I am hitting people over the head with this theme). Some ideas:
Meh. It's pretty but I think it's king of boring? Am I wrong?
Another, similar in style, and similar in boring factor. zzzzzz.....
These would not work, but I was intrigued by the sapphire blue in the brooch. But they are too grey...

Another Carrie Bradshaw shoe
Again, I could die. These shoes were featured in the show bearing the same title as my blog. Carrie goes to a party (thrown by Tatum O'Neal back when she wasn't a crack addict) and she has to remove her shoes. At the end of the party they are missing! Gasp! And they are Monolo's! In the end she gets a new pair and jumps over puddles in the streets of the Big Apple. Yeah, don't deny it, you know the episode.

I could beat anyone in SATC triva, just try me.

Regardless, I LOVE these shoes. Notice a theme in style? They are classy and simple, yet they have a touch of pizazz that I like. These are not as expensive as the blue ones, but still maybe more than is necessary. Really? Maybe I could donate plasma or something.

Now I have found one pair of ivory shoes that I find pretty

I am just not crazy about them. Honestly, I want to get shoes I would actually want to wear again, so this feels like an important decision.

Also, I secretly want to change into crazy sneakers for the reception. I am a wimp when in comes to heels. Carrie would be terribly displeased with me.

Thoughts? Places to look? Help! (again!)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

God Bless Southwest.

Seriously folks. Times are tough, and with fuel costs rising I know for the many out of towners purchasing airfare may make ones pockets scream in agony. Luckily Chicago is accessible via Southwest from both Louisville and Baltimore. I looked up airfare today and check out these deals:

Leaving on either Jan.1st or 2nd from Louisville to Chicago: $69
Returning from Chicago to Louisville on January 4th: $79-$84
Total Cost: $148-$153

Leaving on either Jan 1st or 2nd from Baltimore to Chicago: $102
Returning to Baltimore on January 4th: $102-$110
Total Cost: $204-$212

Cost of witnessing the Blürg say "I do": Priceless.

I urge you all to go ahead and book your flights before prices go up. Southwest also offers group deals if ten or more people fly on the same itinerary. Also Southwest is great about letting you switch/cancel/exchange at the last minute.

Just a little tip from me to you....

The polls are now open

( a little election themed entry)

With many of the major, and even semi-major (can that exist?) decisions made, my mind is now left to wonder on such things as: accessories, hair, make-up etc. Today the focus is on outerwear. An essential item for the winter bride. I currently live in my ankle length down coat for six months out of the year. However, something tells me I would not look so blushing were I to wear it on the big day. I must find a fabulous jacket to wear en route from the ceremony to the reception, along with any daring outdoor shots we attempt to take.

The coat must fit effortlessly into my color scheme, it must be warm, and above all it needs to be fierce. I have done some browsing. Here are some thoughts.

For blue colored coats

This seems to be the most true to the color blue I have chosen. But I wonder if it is dressy enough.
This color is called "Lapis" I like it for it's simplicity. Plus it's on sale.

Silver

Definitely unique, although I feel it may look too much like a raincoat.

For a winter white look

Classy and simple. Of course I would be destined to spill something on it.

Classy with a touch of funk?

To be honest my ideal wedding coat would look something like this

Isn't it amazing? I would not necessarily want these colors, but just look at this beauty. It's would be like wearing a painting. So unique. So special. Too bad it's um....(sob)....upwards of $3,000.


My question to you dear friends, family and readers is which do you prefer? Are you down with the blue, should I go for classic white, funky silver? Or should I try to find a coat like the dreamy Osacar de la Renta? If so, where do you think I could find one for say 90% less?

Help!

Remember this election is about you....