(Wedding Recap) Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dances

I cried more dancing with my father than any other time during the wedding. (Sorry husband).  Even though my dad and I only practiced once, about 5 minutes before we took the floor, he managed to swing, twirl and promenade me all over that dance floor. That man can lead (he and my mom ballroom dance <-- cute!).  During the dance he whispered complements to me, telling me how beautiful I looked, how amazing everything came together, and how lucky he was. Cue the waterworks.  We shared a great Father's Day moment right there.

You might recall the emails exchanged between he and I, where I wondered if he could guess my favorite Disney movie song?  and BAM without prompting, he knew what our song would be:
Candle on the Water, by Helen Reedy, from Pete's Dragon.

I'll be your candle on the water
This flame inside of me will grow
Keep holding on you'll make it
Here's my hand so take it

Look for me reaching out to show
As sure as rivers flow
I'll never let you go

I'll never let you go

Mike and his mom danced to Barbra Streisand's If I Could.

If I could
I would try to shield your innocence from time
but the part of life I gave you isn't mine

I've watched you grow
so I could let you go

but I know that I can never cry your tears
but I would
If I could
yes I would

I love that Mike's Grandparents began to dance and are in the back of this shot! So sweet!

What were your father/daughter or mother/son dance songs?


{pictures courtesy Studio Juno}

Separation of Self and Me

I have an amazing career which allows me to be two people at once.
I can be myself while doing my job; I can be myself while at home.  But who I am in my personal life differs only slightly from the persona I capture while working. Still, there is a separation.

I teach.
Precious, young children are trusted into my care for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week.

I am a normal person.
When I don't bring my work home, I like to practice yoga, take pictures, shop, go to happy hours with friends, bbq and sometimes even run for fun (and I love mac n' cheese).

Like separation of church and state, I am the separation of instructor and someone-trying-to-live-a-normal-life. 

As Mrs. S, I more patiently listen to my client's needs than I sometimes do to my husband's fantasy football stories.  Mrs. S also gets serious and down to business faster than Vicki.  Vicki tends to allow piles to accumulate at home, while Mrs. S attempts to keep up with the grading and filing at a much faster pace. 


I love working in a profession where I can really keep my personal life private, other than to my coworkers and what I choose to share with my students.   It is very compartmentalized, neat & tidy, and I like that. The parents and students are more like clients, and sometimes I don't always want them get to know the real me.  I have an image to uphold as a role model, which I take seriously.  Less is more.
(sidenote: not that there is anything about the real me which would cause anyone to think twice)

I honestly feel like this blog was a part of me, as Vicki.  
And it still is, to an extent.

I know and understand that everything I write on this blog is public.
I accept that every time I hit the "publish post" button.


I thought it went without saying this is/was my Vicki-space.
I never write about what happens in the workplace (as no lawyer, doctor, or nanny would do, without first consulting their client).  I have no reason to write about the workplace, as this is a blog about Vicki, not Mrs. S.  Yes, Vicki plays into Mrs. S, but Mrs. S does not play into Vicki.


So when I heard through the grapevine that parents of students I teach/taught read this blog & was able to back that up with my Google Analytic results for visits to this site?  I was honestly heartbroken, defensive, mad, sad, and then proud.

Perhaps to anyone who clicks through this blog (and some local "researchers" did 10+ posts-worth) comes away thinking, "Gee, that Vicki girl sure is neat."    
I hope they walk away smiling and laughing. 
(Not, "Gee, that Vicki girl sure is boring.")


But do you really need to know what outfits the teacher of your student wears on Saturdays? Or recipes she favors? or that her husband spoils her?  Does that make her a better teacher?
Because the girl in this blog is not Mrs. S -- It's Vicki.
And she'd kindly like her public, yet personal, space back.


Yes, the 2nd/3rd person writing has thoroughly confused me.
CrowndVic, out.

(Wedding Recap) Yichud & Our First Dance!

After the wedding ceremony it is customary, in Judaism, for the bride and groom to have time to themselves (yichud). They are escorted to the "yichud room" and left alone. We used this time to scarf down food & say "wow" about a million times.  Back in the day, this time together made the marriage official -- if ya' know what I mean. 
These moments of seclusion signify the couple's new status of living together as husband and wife.

Once we had enough to eat and drink I texted our wedding planner, eager to move on to the next moment!  We hoped to mingle with our guests, but had to use the time instead for family photos.  Honestly, this became my least favorite part.  We spent time prior to the ceremony taking some family shots, but didn't finish.  At this point I simply wanted to dance and celebrate with my friends.  I love my family but that flash bulb drove me crazy.... (and of course, I was in every picture).

Once the necessary family portraits finish the cocktail hour time sadly passed.  Next up: Our First Dance!
Mike & I long debated over which song to use for this moment. I wanted something timeless, that might play in the grocery store one day and make us remember back to that day.  He wanted something lively and fun.  We finally decided on one song, and then promptly changed it 3 days later to our final decision. 

We chose the Beatles, I Will

I absolutely love this shot!

(Also, do you see the little glimmer of white in the background that is my niece, the flower girl? adorbs.)

{all photos by Studio Juno}

Vlogtastic - Scentsy Sunday: Corner Cafe

I decided to try something new, at the advice of a friend, Emily (who, be tee dubs, was my first Scentsy customer!).  Huge thanks to Em for that and this idea!

Every once in awhile I will air a Sunday Scentsy Vlog highlighting some scents, sharing new info with you & maybe a surprise or two.  For this first vlog (in mah pajamas -- surprise), I just wanted to get a feel for things.  Give me feedback, but I already know to slow down and sit up straight. 
Tell me if you like this idea, what scents you want to know more about, and any other details from my life that you need to hear about.

See if you can figure out my favorite scent!

But for now, here's my stupidity, caught on camera.  And Scentsy, too:

Scentsy Corner Cafe Vlog Crowning Victoria from Vicki Wxxxxxxxxx on Vimeo.

(Wedding Recap) Details, Details

There are a couple things I need to point out, to validate my/our hard work and document the end results.

For the ceremony, my mom purchased a kit from Michael's craft stores and then made the layout with her fine Microsoft Office skills.  My dad then helped her print, arrange, and tie the bows. (Thanks Mom & Dad!)  We placed them on chairs for guests, prior to the ceremony.

I found some reserved seating cards on TheKnot.com. (Which reminds me, I need to sell them... anyone want them?)  These were perfect for the ceremony!

The kepot were passed out at the door, thanks to our dear friend, Eric.  We decided to go with a contrasting color to the bridesmaids dresses to change things up a bit.

Post ceremony, the guests were lead to the Board Room where one bar was located, or to the Portico, outside, where there were cabaret (high-top) tables and another bar.  And I have no picture of this. But it existed.

Before entering the cocktail hour area you came across a table with escort cards, decorated with floating candles, similar to some of the table arrangements.  I stupidly printed out all the cards myself, a few days before the wedding (with the help from amazing Lara!).  Turns out, when you do this task after midnight and when your husband is already away on his bachelor party, you will make mistakes... like forgetting a whole table.  whoops!

I found this gift box at Target, days prior to the wedding. I used the same ribbon as I did for my niece's flower girl basket and the escort card (to differentiate entree choices), for flair.

Each escort card led guests to their assigned table, named after a different zoo animals (a nod to Mike's proposal!)

At each seat lay menu cards and benchers (Jewish prayer books - which we forgot to use!) flanked each table. Sidenote: I also printed these menu cards out in the wee-hours of the morning.  Not advised.

As mentioned before, I made the cake topper (with that same ribbon).

The bridesmaid's flowers surrounded the cake table. 

And my bouquet graced our sweetheart table, along with my special clutch from Etsy!

These little elements all came together so nicely!

{all photos by the awesome Studio Juno}

Wordless Wednesda: Red Soles

A New Endeavor: Scentsy!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce I am a Scentsy Independent Consultant!

Don't know about Scentsy? well then you have not been in my house lately....

Scentsy is a system of wickless candles and home fragrances.
Using a low-watt bulb, high grade fragrance oils, and food grade wax (all these things premiums), a candle-like system exists without a flame!
And they smell wonderful.

Now if you know me, I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon unless I really like & believe in something (remember, I don't like butterflies...).
And Scentsy is amazing.
There are no carbon emissions so allergy and asthma patients can breathe easy (<-- I can testify to both).   The wax scent cubes come in well-priced clam shells so it's easy to change out scents, frequently.  Best of all, they burn longer than candles.

Scents like Honey Pear Cider, Autumn Sunset, and Central Park Pralines will surely prepare your home to welcome fall!  White Tea & Cactus and Camu Camu are two other personal favs.
The warmers are fairly priced and come in combo packs to set you up!

There are other fun products like cuddly Scentsy Buddy, fragrant room sprays, & even convenient travel tins.

Enough from me, check out My Launch Party to try it for yourself!
If you love candles, especially those large jar ones from that other name brand company, then you will LOVE Scentsy!
Contact me with any questions -- I only have honest answers!


PS:  Mike woke up the other morning actually thinking I made pancakes.  It was really the Honey Pear Cider scent warming!

What are your favorite scents?