{random} surprise!

i'm going to apologize in advance for whatever i may say or misspell here...i have been sick and am all drugged up on alka-seltzer cold stuff...that they say is non-drowsy, but i really believe it knocks you out cold and makes you sleep walk and do really stupid things so your friends and family can laugh at you...

but i digress.

my coworkers rock. no seriously...how many people can say they work with some of the nicest and smartest people ever? well, i can. the other day they dooped me into going to my fav cafe (i normally like to eat at my desk so i can catch up on my favorite wedding blogs while i stuff my face..paints a cute picture, doesn't it?). when we got there i noticed the entire team i work with was there .. about 30 or so..and all sitting at a large table. i wasn't sure i was invited..or what was going on, and turned to my cubemate and asked if we should sit with them (i mean, it's not like we were invited and maybe it was some sort of secret meeting or something???)..that's when i noticed a ginormous card and presents in the middle of the table...the envelope read "amy" in curly-cues...it was a little party for little 'ol me! was it my birthday? nope. could it be a going away party (my official last day is monday - yikes)? thought this could be it...until i noticed the wrapping on the presents was from none other than the fabulous williams sonoma! sweet! it was a wedding party thing! (shower?? i dunno). so check this out...i opened the card and look:

home-freakin-made! by the same little chica who did this. i mean..how thoughtful..and oh-so-cute. you might not be able to see it in the pic, but she actually printed out pics from my blog to make it uber-personal. and everyone on the team signed the inside ..next to the big 'ol benjamin taped to the inside. w00t!

i know, i know...you want to know about the fab loot...well, it was all stuff i craved from my wedding registry at williams-sonoma:

heritage bundt pan. comes with an awesome little recipe too...thinking about trying it out on the co-workers as a little appreciation...

muffin pan...have you seen the cupcakes in the latest from martha stewart? seriously.

avocado pitter/slicer. i love me some avocados...especially now that i live in cali.

oh yea! ice cream maker!! and whole foods has strawberries on sale right now...2 cartons for $6! i cannot wait to use this baby...and my fh made fun of me for registering for this...i guess i'll make fun of him when he wants a bite of my homemade strawberry ice cream!

we also got a fluted pastry wheel (for my love of pie-baking), a simple apron for the fh, a paring knife (available in stores only), and a fabulous maple wood spreader (also only available in stores) - which i used last night to spread my garlic/parsley/butter/ black pepper butter on french bread before throwing it in the oven...and let me tell you, it will be one of my favorite tools in the kitchen.

so here's to you fab co-workers! you made my day.

registering for gifts

we registered for gifts about 6 weeks ago. i was so excited.. i couldn't wait to get one of those big ugly scanners and just shoot away..so our first stop was williams-sonoma. they have a bride & groom sunday thing...they open early for registering couples...feed you wonderful brunch, fresh squeezed orange juice, and coffee. it was heaven. they also let you try out products such as the knives, the espresso makers, and the juicers. i loved every minute of it. and i got to sign up for this: (oh my heart be still...)

it doesn't end there..they also offer free cooking classes for the bride and groom throughout the year. you can also return on any of the special sunday's for more brunch and to update your registry, although the online management tool is so easy. ahhh. w-s i think i love you.

our next stop was macys. i'm not super excited about it because i really wasn't crazy about the whole experience. it all seems somewhat cheap...especially after the w-s experience. although, they did give me a nice swiss army tote. we chose macy's because it is an actual, familiar store to the older generation of our hometown. we really felt that we wanted our guests to feel comfortable about where they purchased their gifts. so we signed up for towels, bedsheets, and silverware. the one thing that really bothered me about macy's was that their bonus point system was kind of a gimmick...you have to sign up for a credit card in order to get the extra discounts after your wedding date. the last thing we need to start out our lives together is a brand new credit card. although...i am really excited about this:

so after reading several wonderful wedding blogs, i heard about wishpot.com. this is how it works...any product you find online you can register for thru wishpot and the service is free and it's easy. i'm addicted already. not only have i created a wedding registry, i can create a wishlist for birthdays, christmas, etc. just check it out. it's great. i got to sign up for some beautiful things..