Happy Birthday Mom!

She's the reason I take vitamins (without prompting, now), the reason I always bring a jacket or sweater with me (don't want to make her cold), and the reason I never missed a day of school unless I was sick (hehe).
[But I still refuse to iron - some things you can't change!]

Happy birthday to a woman I love and respect, very much!

She knows how to keep it real!

Much love to you mom, 

today and always!

Nerdy 30 Birthday Party!

I first saw the Nerdy Thirty birthday theme over on Harper's Happenings, and put it in my back pocket.  While Flirty Thirty and Dirty Thirty are fun, I wanted something more unique.

Marisa of Mad Design created my custom invitations.  I wanted more a hipster nerdy approach, and Marisa totally worked with me until we had the perfect invite, complete with hot pink envelopes. Love!

 As I mentioned before, we rented a private space, the upstairs loft of a favorite bar.  This allowed us our space meanwhile still being a part of the bar.

I decorated with custom birthday banner and cupcake toppers from 10 Candles Party Shoppee:

We can't forget the dinosaurs, which were a HUGE hit. (oddly)

Add some special robot & birthday cake shaped confetti (from Creating Your Memories), "nerdy" glasses from Ebay, Pop Rocks, wind up robot toys, & rainbow unicorn napkins and voila:

This was more of a throwback to the 80's and my childhood than it was a truly nerdy party.   But maybe my childhood was nerdy.  Or perhaps it's nerdy to like these things. or hipster. which is quasi-nerdy.

At any rate, a good time was had by all:

  So Vicki, what are you going to do now that you're 30?

Never stop having fun!

Steppin' Out Saturday 9.24.11 - my 30th birthday!

This Steppin' Out post earns the especially awesome award because it showcase my Nerdy 30 birthday party!  Sept 24 is the actual big day, perfect for a huge shin-dig celebrating 30 years of my life!

We rented the loft space in a favorite bar, complete with our own bar, bartender, and bouncer.  Super sweet! Even better, we wandered/stumbled down to the main dance floor any time we felt like mingling with the commoners (ha!) and then escaped back up to our space to sit, chill, and hang with our friends.

I only wore my super glittery pumps for about an hour before switching to another pair of glittery flats.  Best. Idea. Ever.

The "dork glasses" purchased from Ebay turned out to be a huge hit.  There were other party favors like wind-up robots and plastic dinosaurs.  I promise to write the next post including all the deets, cuz I'm darn proud of this party!

Clearly, we had a blast.

My take on turning 30?  

not bad, 

not bad at all...

Birthday love!

For someone who feared the big 3-0 months ago, I have nothing but happiness in my heart today!  From my husband's treat of a trip to NYC complete with the most fabulous present ever, to my friends & family showering me with love and presents, this kick ass blog post by a bestie, and my class of twenty-two 7 year-olds singing me the birthday song (along with counting "Are you 1? Are you 2?" ...all the way to 30!), I am complete.

Birthdays are a huge deal to me, if you didn't know already. They are your own personal holiday.  You deserve nothing but attention and awesomeness to the max.  I might be guilty of searching that out, at times, to cope with the fear of turning older.  But this year, aside from planning my party (what?), I just let things happen.
And happen they did!

Tonight we celebrate:

It's been on heck of a year, and I can't wait to see what this decade holds!

PS: fabulous invite by Mad Design!

Grownupance

I recall when using/wearing matching Bath & Body works shower gel, lotion, and body spray defined my beauty needs.   For some reason, the importance of matching scented products ruled my (seemingly shallow) life.

Now I find the need to use pricier hair products that allow my color to continue to shine, since I paid a pretty penny for these highlights.  I find volumizing powders and dry shampoo along with other items which total $75, with free shipping, of course, a requirement.  Clinique makeup will only do for my sensitive skin & Essie and OPI nail polishes are a favorite.  I also enjoy a good mani/pedi from time to time, but who doesn't?

These high-end beauty products somehow crept into my life before I knew what they were doing to my credit card statements.  Not to say I'm in debt to beauty, but for a girl whose primary needs ranged from scent uniformity to now needing Sephora on speed dial?  I can't help but wonder when this happened.

As if calling attention to my salary output isn't enough, I also notice a more savvy approach to the paycheck input. I see life insurance and my retirement fund as line items on my bank statement.  I recently asked a friend for investment advice and love ING online banking for its higher interest rate.  My Costco executive membership earns me 2% back on all purchases there, when bulk purchasing saves a dime or simply saves me time.  Oh and that membership finds me the best car insurance & coverage for my husband and me.  We squirrel away funds for a larger down payment down the line and entertain the idea of traveling & living overseas.

It trickles down to the pets, too, who all eat grain free foods from non-chain stores.  This is not so much an indulgence for them as it is a reality that wild animals don't eat wheat.  That and one of the cats & the dog have allergies.  Really.

All this highfalutin attention to detail and need for quality products might appear excessive.  I'm not sure when this change happened either: when Trader Joe's overtook Giant, salon dye won over boxed dye, and the need for yoga beat out couch-potato'ing.  I never needed designer clothes, yet Coach purses & the rare Louboutin's mark some sort of coming of age in my head.  


Call me spoiled.
Call me immoderate.
Call me crazy.
But one thing's for sure: I didn't care worth squat about these things at 21 or 25.
What is it about becoming independent ("grown up") that has the potential to make us so reliant on other things?

I find value in taking care of my assets with quality items.
Because life is short.
and I am a grown up.
(tomorrow)

30, baby.

 {image}

WordFul Wednesday: NYC bday!

This past weekend's birthday trip to NYC totally took my mind of turning 30.  And here's why:

Baller Weekend (as we dubbed it) began with a complementary hotel room upgrade to a suite & four drink coupons.  Score.

We headed out to Ray's Pizza & then Blind Tiger bar.
Pizza + Beer = Happiness.

...especially fancy-pinky-up-beer and greasy-delicious-pizza!
(why did I put that picture up of me?!)


The next day Mike tells me there's a surprise waiting for me.  I totally thought this trip was my present!  We headed uptown on the subway, getting off and walking towards Central Park.  I had no clue what he planning.  I guessed we were going to the American Girl Store to create a replica of me.  I was sorely wrong as we walked up to this store:

See, you might remember back during wedding planning when I wanted these shoes so badly, only to find out they were Christian Louboutin's.  Once I found the price tag I totally threw that plan out the window.  I always kept those Loubs in the back of my mind, though.
Enter a scene about 3 weeks ago, me with my brand new, pain-in-the-foot shoes from Target. Twenty five dollars for shoes seemed like such a steal.  But my feet ached. It's true, you pay for what you get.

Mike did something amazing.  He put two and two and two together.  He knew I loved Loubs and thought I would never get them.  He knew that good shoes would make my feet feel better.  He found a Christian Louboutin boutique in New York City.  And He knew this would earn him major brownie points!

Any pair you'd like.

Beautiful, beautiful words.

Sadly, their stock of 37.5's ran low.  No worries, we headed to the original Sak's 5th Avenue where their women's shoe department not only has their own floor but an express elevator devoted to it!

Sak's also lacked my size in the shoe I wanted, but I did try it on.  And it's supposedly in the mail.  Counting down the days until my Loubs arrive!
I never in a million years would have dreamed of this present.  This is totally out of our ballpark for normal!
Baller Weekend.
Best present evah, right?

While in NYC we also stumbled upon the elusive Laduree macroon store, where a tiny treat cotsts $3 and the box to hold it in, $2.
Baller Weekend.

Amazing, yummy, and a new favorite. 

Other sight-seeing wonders and events include:

World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial

Ferrara's & the San Geranno Festival in Little Italy

 Sharing the love....

30 Rock & rehearsal monologue for Jimmy Fallon!

We even found our way into Christie's Auction House, took in the amazing-must-see musical Anything Goes, got ripped off on a pedicab ride, and ate at the 21 Club.

Totally fab.

Baller Weekend.

and to think, my actual birthday is not until Saturday!

Steppin' Out Saturday 9.16.11 -- NYC Edition!

This past weekend, Mike took me up to New York City for three days of fun.  We celebrated my upcoming 30th birthday (ahem, 9/24) & had a blast! 

We nicknamed the time spent our "Baller Weekend" because we did not hold back.
At. all.
Did someone say Louboutin's?
I'll get into that later.
And it was nothing short of amazing.

[edit: This is technically from a Friday, not a Saturday... So we'll call it Steppin' out Saturday on a Friday]

 

 

Quick story:  I purchased these button earrings from Uptown Avenue. They quickly became a fav, and then lost one!  I went back to their Etsy store, requesting to buy a single earring.  Theresa said no, she would instead send it to me free of charge with free shipping!  And surprise, she sent a whole new pair!!  Love great customer service!

Stay tuned for more from our amazing weekend! 

Growing up/old

As the 24th of this month passed, I gained heightened awareness that my birthday is in the not-so-far-off future. Let's be real, here. It's only 4 months away. That's a third of the year away. No, I'm not going to start celebrating now and demand that we all celebrate the entire month of September, August, and sure why not July and June too, in honor of my birth.  The whole 'let's celebrate the whole week long' thing was so high school, I admit it.  I'm fine with only celebrating the day-of this event.
Because, while this birthday is monumental, it's also one I don't embrace.

I'll turn the big three-oh.
30.
(cue the dramatics)

With the wedding occupying much (ok, almost all) of my thoughts I nearly forgot to get excited/worried/begin freaking out.


Part of me feels anciently old (redundant, yes).
And if I'm being completely honest (and why the hell not) I see so many women who wed younger and started their families already.  I wonder if my timelines is off.  I worry about conceiving children.  I heard a women's eggs start dying around age thirty.  I'm paranoid about being old.  I want to be able to chase my kids around and be active, not old and lazy.

Part of me feels youthfully young.
I have so much time ahead.  I am getting married now after being able to travel with my fiance, live a fun life of going-out and staying up late, and continue this trend for as long as we like.  There are no limitations, aside from my own, and there's no reason to change.
 
The other part of me feels too worried about my upcoming nuptials to let anything else bother me.

So that's that.
Turning 30, worried about getting old, worried about growing up.
But honestly? I'm a little happy to be tying the knot before 30.
Check it off the list.

 {image source}

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today my man turns one year older!  I absolutely love celebrating birthdays, so today will be non-stop F-U-N! Unless, of course, Mike decides he wants to just play video games, then it will be fun for him and I will clean the house (meanwhile, I still get joy out of that!)

Last year I wrote up 27 things I love about Mike, but today I keep it short and sweet.

I love him entirely and completely and can't wait to become his wife!  There's one way sure-fire way to Mike's heart: through his stomach.  This morning we started off with his favorite breakfast: banana pancakes.

Here's a Jack Johnson song, Banana Pancakes, to start your morning off right, too!

Happy Birthday, Mike!!!!!!!!!!!

(and my niece, Eleanor, turns 4 today, too!
Happy Birthday to my little love!)

Happy Weekend, All!

May it be filled with banana pancakes!

MOMspiration

Happy Birthday to the lovely woman who brought me into the world, my mom!

Looking back at moments my mom and I shared, I surely gave her a run for her money during my teenage years, but I'm going to go ahead and blame that on genetics. {coy smile}  But she was there for me through and through.  And I love her for all of it:

-I must mention that she promised me a Slurpee if I figured out the logistics of a tampon. {hilarious. and true}

-She came to every ballet class until I could drive myself, and even then she came to watch.

-I vividly remember the evening I sobbed huge tears of sadness, after my first "serious" relationship ended (for like the twelfth time). As a grabbed tissue after tissue in the bathroom, my mom looked at me and sincerely said, "I know it hurts."  Something about that simple validation made everything as better as it could be.

-She insisted on piano lessons until I hated them. But now? I can sit and play my repertoire of party favorites and read a bit of sheet music.

I love the way one glass of wine makes her "drunk as a skunk" and her innocence towards pop culture.  Also? She and my dad ballroom dance with their "group" and they are ah.dor.able!

I will proudly carry the same handkerchief she did during her wedding, at mine, as my "Something Old."
Hopefully one day I can pass it onto a little girl to do the same. I can only hope to pass on her steadfast determination, desire to help others, and love of culture to my future little ones.

I love you mom, you make my heart smile!

----------------------

And now I ruin that perfectly good, sappy post with a reminder that today is the last day to enter my six Etsy giveaways!

The Best Present

This past weekend my birthday celebrations kicked serious butt.  I enjoyed myself entirely and felt so loved.  However, a birthday wouldn't be a birthday without presents (let be honest, here).

Mike totally stresses about what to get me every year.  And I admit, I'm hard to buy for and to surprise.  Mike tried countless times to get "that reaction" of amazement and total awe, and has come very close. So this year he went the safe route of running a few ideas by me.  If he went with his gut-feeling without asking me, all would be well, because I loved everything.

However there is one thing I loved above all else.
And it only cost $2.99.

The card.

"Hopeless Romantic" & "Mike" will only ever be found together in this sentence.
(But I like him that way, because sappy stuff makes me uncomfortable)

His inner Romeo came out.




His card is the one in front, with the silly-cat-face and "Wife" on it!

Take a closer look:

He wrote "future" before "wife."

Alone, that card made my birthday.
I am so lucky to have him as my "future" husband!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I celebrate my 29th birthday!  

 {source}

This is truly exciting, because after this year I plan on celebrating the anniversary of turning 29, for years to come.  Without going on about how icky I could potentially feel about being almost done with my 20's, I give you a very special birthday treat: a post written by my parents.

I asked dear Mom and Dad if they would contribute and within 6 hours their post came, ready to go!  I wish I inherited their readiness and punctuality.  As a side note, before you read, I only had the privilege of knowing one of my grandparents - my Grandma Anna.  I cherished my time with her and am proud to read what is below.
And so, here's what Betty and Marty (don't you just adore their names?) had to say about the baby of their family, me:

Vicki - From the View of her Parents:

We named her after her two grandmas Victoria and Anna.  In  our mind we hoped that she would do credit to her heritage and memory of her grandmas, who worked hard and had the great respect as ones who helped others.  You never know what your child will do, but hope to instill some values that will serve to help your child as well as help others.  values of a work ethic and assistance to others, like her grandmas.

Growing up she captured the attention of many folks.  To illustrate, many wanted her to watch their little ones before she was even out of grade school!  What a good sitter for all those children in our neighborhood.  She gearned her "baby sitter's certificate" at age 11 or 12, who knows exactly the age because it seemed like everyone wanted to have Vicki babysit with her games and planned activities.  We wondered who this little business person and educator was.

In her senior year of high school she was president of chorus and showed great leadership abilities.  She could sing.  But more so, she was a leader and knew how to take care of others; like grandmas do.

Then she wanted to be a teacher.  How proud she made her mom, who is a teacher at a local community college.  Graduation from college and then on to a second grade teaching assignment.  Again taking care of children.  Like Grandma.

Now the wedding bells are on their way.  Hopefully God will shine upon you and give you children of your own.  Then a few children for Vicki's children.  Vicki then as a grandma.

Love you, and we are proud of you because you are you. 
HAPPY birthday!
Mom & Dad

 Baby Vicki and Mom

pppppp ssss: don't forget my two birthday giveaways end tonight!

9 Months Away!

In 9 months we will not be having a baby, but rather a wedding!

There's not too much new to report, so this will sound a lot like the 10 month update.

Old News: we've secured our date, location, officiant, and band.
We have a block of hotel rooms at two different places.


Old News: I know my Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue.
New News: Sadly, on the Something Blue front, the Louboutin's I covet for $157 are knock-offs.  They really cost over $500, so I'm sticking with the Nina's, which are just as beautiful!

Current News: The caterer is still TBD, as we finally found more companies willing to work with-in our price range.  We're trying to set up more tastings (at least 2 more) and hopefully my only bridesmaid (aside from my sister) to not attend a tasting, Kathryn, will be able to join us for one!

The Save the Dates are about to be mailed out.
I stupidly decided to hand stamp decorations on the 125 inserts, and so the process is taking longer.
(Also, thankfully a stamp company AND an ink company both sent me products to review, meaning the materials to decorate the Save the Dates were free!  So expect a review and detailed "how to" post about that, coming up!)

My parents secured the Day After Breakfast location and contract.  I am so thankful they took this on, themselves!  One less thing for me to think about!

The famed wedding dress is finally out of our living room (I bought it off the rack in a sample sale) and out of Mike's range of vision, although it left a piece of itself behind!


Finally, We're working on:
-finishing the Save the Date inserts
-mailing out the STD's
-choosing a caterer
-picking a photographer (Oh, I need to blog about an interesting development here! Stay tuned!)


I'm sorta thinking about:
-flowers, still
-hair, still
-(hand painted) invites
-my 29th birthday, on Friday (24th -- email me for an address to send presents)
-work is taking over my life (what else is new?!)

What are YOU up to?!
{image source}

Birthday Giveaway: Jammie Girl jammies!

I love my jammies (bold, italics, underline).

It might have something to do with loving sleep, but nothing beats coming home from a long day at work to your favorite pair of jammies.  (Well, maybe wine, dinner on the table, and your man - but being IN your jammers is the icing on the cake!)

A few weeks ago I received and reviewed a pair of Jammie Girl jammies.  Jammie Girl's site is the mecca for cute PJs. I love the Munki Munki line, which has the uber cute nightgown "June Bug" tribute to brides:

The PJ Salvage Purple Pursuasion  cropped pant looks oh-so-comfy and stylish, too:

Jammie Girl sent me the Malabar Bay Sea Stars Blue Pajama Set in medium.  Check out my review for full details, but here's the skinny: LOVE THEM!

In honor of my birthday, you too can own a set of Malabar Bay PJs!
They are offering one lucky winner a pair of Malabar Bay jammies in Flamingo White!

Here's how to enter the giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:  Go to Jammie Girl's Site and comment below, telling me your favorite pair!

(**You must do the first entry first to qualify for bonus entries. Please leave a comment for each entry! If it says 3 entries then leave 3 entries! Valid for USA only. No PO Box addresses will be accepted. Please make sure you leave an e-mail address or have it in your profile! If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!** )

Bonus Entries

1. Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

2. Like me on Facebook (1 entry)

3. Subscribe by reader or email located on left sidebar to my blog (1 entry each)

4. Add my button to your blog or add me to your blogroll (2 entries each)

5. Blog about this giveaway. Leave me link. (3 entries)

6. Follow @CrowndVic* on Twitter and tweet** this giveaway (1 entry/tweet)

*Tweets protected.  I will approve you as long as you're not a bot.

**Anything appropriate or something like:  I wanna win the PJ #Giveaway with @CrowndVic and @jammiegirlstore http://ow.ly/2DgxZ

7. Follow @JammieGirlStore on Twitter (1 entry)

8. Like Jammie Girl on Facebook (1 entry)

9.  Vote for this blog*** (Crowning Victoria) for Weddzilla's Blog Guru award! (1 entry)
***Must be a new vote if voted previously.  Scroll through the pages to find my button (most likely on page 3 or 4). Click the arrow next to my blog logo to vote.

Giveaway will end on 9/24/10 (my birthday!) at 11 PM EST.

Winner will be chosen by random.org and will be e-mailed. The winner has 48 hrs. to respond to my e-mail or another winner will be chosen. I will announce the winner on my blog.

{personal photos by Yours Truly, Me}
{Photos of June Bug and Purple Persuasion PJs from Jammie Girl}

Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% honest and my own.  Jammie Girl provided me with the pictured pair of PJs for the purpose of this review.  I purchased an additional pair on my own because I love their selection.