The One! Is Moving!

The One! is moving back to Blogger!  Going forward, please visit us at: http://theoneny.blogspot.com/.

And please be patient with the formatting on the new site- working as a lawyer AND fixing a blog are both full time jobs but I promise to do my best!

xoxo,

Sarah

Moving On, Moving Up

A year ago when I started this blog it was kind of a bucket list thing.  I do a lot of writing for a living, could I write a blog for a year?  I thought so.  What I didn’t anticipate was that I’d develop such a great group of followers, nor did I know how rewarding blogging would be!  I have learned so much about relationships, about crafting and planning, and about gathering as a community  in support of one another- miraculously, all through a silly, geeky blog.   And although it’s been gratifying beyond measure to participate in this world, I have to face facts:  I’m waaaay too busy to do this for the long haul.  I will ALWAYS love weddings but I am officially over-saturated with wedding knowledge- knowledge I no longer need.   It’s generally a good idea to walk away from something while you still love it, no?

Furthermore, J. and I are looking down the barrel of some big changes right now.  None are so big we can’t manage, but  I need to take some time to prioritize my career and family right now- and unfortunately the blog doesn’t make money or cuddle.  So even though it’s a bummer to slow down, I need to focus on the rest of my life for a while.

The good news is that I can save some $$ because I won’t be paying hosting fees anymore.  The bad news is that I have to move the blog to another (free) platform- which I will be sharing with you as soon as I figure it out- so all those postings won’t be gone forever.  And don’t worry, I’ll still post from time to time when I have something good to share!  PLUS I’m still holding out hope that I can hand The One! over to a new bride-to-be who may be looking for a way to share her adventures (so please email me if you are interested)!

It’s hard to figure out how to end a post like this without sounding cheesy, so I am forced to accept that I will always be a cheeseball, and end with two of the cheesiest things I can think of.  First, the always-quotable Elizabeth Gilbert:

“We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy’s fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure–your perfection–is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the busy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.”

Elizabeth always nails it, doesn’t she?  That’s totally how I feel- I need to chill for a while and focus on some basics.  Oh and the second cheesey thing I hearby bequeath to you?  From Titanic…

I'll never let go...

xoxo,

Sarah

New House!

I really don’t think it’s possible to overemphasize how busy this year has been.  My most recent excuse?  The lovely little colonial you see below!  J. and I moved in on Thursday with very little broken to show for it.  Yipee!  I can’t wait to show you the inside!  In the mean time, if you need me you can find me unpacking, planning a housewarming BBQ, or maybe even passed out, because I am definitely feeling exhausted… but happy!

I heart our little colonial

We’re Moving!

Wow, it’s hard to believe that we’re moving today, but we really are.  It’s kind of incredible to remember how we got to this day.  I bought my condo in March of 2008, tried to sell it between January and June of 2010, failed, and decided to list it on the rental market instead.  In the mean time, J. and I have been working nights and weekends to renovate his house, one we’ve had a tenant living in for the past 2 years.  It has been a ton of work.  A ton.  We are both absolutely exhausted and that doesn’t even count the pending moving exhaustion we’re sure to feel later today!

So with all that said, you’d think I’d be too distracted to notice the small part of me that’s feeling sad to leave.  I am not a person who feels nostalgic about everything- I have moved many times and never felt much sense of loss.  I try to follow that time-tested cliche: it’s best to live life looking forward and not backward.  But something about this move is different… a significant slice of my life took place in this condo- it’s the place J. and I first lived together, where we got engaged, and where we began our married life.  I already miss seeing the pictures on the walls, snuggling in front of the fireplace, or sneaking down to the pool after a thunderstorm before everyone else figures out the pool is open again.  And I will miss the way this house is pure, unadulterated “me.”

But.

The new house is a force to be reckoned with and together, J. and I have put our stamp all over it.  It has original subway bathroom tiles, fabulous hardwood flooring, adorable architectural features like arches, and period-appropriate schoolhouse light fixtures throughout.  We have demolished, polished, sanded, patched, stained, painted, weeded, and installed this house to near-perfection.  Enough is done that we can move in, and enough is left to do to keep us interested (hello yard!)!  It’s the kind of old, shopworn, creaky old house that I grew up in- the kind of house that really gets me.  This house has a story to tell.  I’m excited to figure out that story, even if the story starts out, “once upon a time there was a house whose previous owner was bad at fixing things properly…”

I will try to share some before-and-after photos with you guys soon!  But in the mean time, onward I go!

image source

Black Friday Magic- Liberty of London on Sale!

I’m not even going to pretend this is a wedding related post, though Target’s Black Friday sale (today, online only) certainly could be the perfect place to score some wedding gear for your centerpieces or favors.  Nope, what I want to talk about is how, as a part of that sale, Liberty of London goodies are 25% off! I am on a spending freeze right now and I already have a LL canister in the guest room so I cannot, repeat CANNOT, buy anything.  It’s white knuckle city around here.  So please let me live vicariously through you all!  Go check this great stuff out today if you have a chance!  All images are from Target’s website:

Perhaps you need melamine plates for those August cookouts?

Or maybe you need new coffee mugs to make mornings a bit easier

Who doesn't love new throw pillows?

And just think how much easier it would be to get the most important meal of the day in, with this cereal bowl

I’m going to go to work now and daydream!  But let me know if you score any awesome deals!

A Brief Pause From Our Regularly Scheduled Programming…

You may have noticed my posting has been a little light lately- my apologies.  I’ve been SWAMPED!  J. and I are in the midst of some serious DIY renovations in our soon-to-be new home, not to mention I’ve helped to throw 3 showers in 4 weeks, and now, to add icing to the cake…

My very first niece was born on July 6!  J. and I got to meet her Saturday and she is just absolute and utter perfection.  I’m in love.  While we were there, of course I grabbed my camera and started playing.  Look at this great shot I got while J. was holding her!  I’m just so excited to learn all the things my new camera can do, and I adore this one!  Though, let’s keep it real, you’d be hard pressed to take a bad photo with such a gorgeous subject.  Introducing baby Ella Grace!

Carry the Torch: Apply to Blog for The One!

On August 24, The One! will be a year old- I know it’s still a little while till the big day, and yet, it’s just around the corner!  It’s been such a wonderful experience for me to have blogged about wonderful wedding fun for almost a full year now!  But as I’ve moved into my life as a married woman and further away from wedding planning, I’ve found a whole new world of competing demands on my time.  As Robert Collier once said, “One might as well try to ride two horses moving in different directions, as to try to maintain in equal force two opposing or contradictory sets of desires.”  The truth is that I want to do it ALL and the reality is that I simply cannot.

But I’m not giving up on The One!  Instead, I’m looking for a NEW BLOGGER BRIDE (or two?) to whom I can pass the torch!  Don’t worry I will still post too, but I think we need to breathe some new life into this place!   The ideal candidate will:

– Share my desire to keep The One! as snark free as possible, while still maintaining enough space to allow for a few opinions!

– Have an appreciation for budget friendly, DIY, and otherwise personal and unique wedding details!

– Share my philosophy that weddings are first and foremost about commitment, family and love!

– Be an excellent writer!

– Be willing to post 2-3 times weekly!

If you think you’re up for the challenge, please email me, sarah.theoneNY [at] gmail [dot] com, with your name and a brief paragraph about why you’d like to blog with The One!   If you have a personal blog, please let me know the link, and if you do not, please provide 2-3 samples of your written work product- any relevant format will do!

I know there are so many of you out there who have good ideas and I’d LOVE to bring you into the fold!!

Happy Half-iversary!

Today marks our 6 month wedding anniversary.  It has been a tumultuous first 6 months with my condo for sale, a move on the horizon, job changes, budget-making, not to mention working on just being married!  But I wouldn’t change a second of it.  I’m having so much fun figuring it all out, and it’s nice to have so much goodness to look forward to.  If the first 6 months can be interpreted as a sign of things to come, I’ll be in for something good!

xoxo,

Sarah

The moment when my new last name was mispronounced for the very first time! (image by Jessica Morrisy)

Do you love finding budget and DIY tips on The One!?

If you like reading about DIY projects and money-saving wedding tips at The One! then please consider nominating us for Wedding Channel’s Best Budget Wedding Blog list OR the Best DIY Wedding Blog list!  We LOVE finding new blogs on these lists and would LOVE to be among them in the next round!

Click image to visit the Wedding Channel's website!

xoxo,

Sarah

Hi Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!

To the lady who first taught me to play piano (before I made it so difficult for her that she had to delegate the task, hehehe)…

(image source)