Moving to a new site....

We decided to try a new blogging site...until further notice, future postings can be found at:

angelajohannwed2011.wordpress.com

Happy viewing.

Promises and long nights

We promise to make it beautiful again.

So as you know, we have purchased a new home (new to us...it's been around for some years to the world). It's a 1944 home that came with it's very own needs. Each day we come home we smile - "We have a home all our own". And since the day we moved in - May 23, 2011 - to today we have been doing small and semi-big improvements to not only make it home, but also to clean up what ever filth that was in the air and on the walls. This was a home that once had two advid smokers. While they may have been nice people, the cigarette smoke was not.

As I also promised....here are some before and after pictures of our home.


Front of house






Backyard (We haven't done much change, but the table and chairs look great! Future project will be garden, tearing up some cement, and patio reconstruction.)

Living room

Dining room

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. More to come.

Home Renovations

So in the midst of all the wedding planning and honeymooning, we bought a house. Our actual closing date was May 11, 2011 (just 3 days from our wedding), and it cleared escrow on May 16, 2011 (just 1 day after we left for our Alaskan Cruise honeymoon). You can imagine how it went when we returned. Packing, packing, and more packing. Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Painting, painting, and more painting. Luckily we had a lot of help from family and friends, which got us through a lot quicker than if Johann and I just did it. We are still in the process of doing our home renovations, but until it's finished (for the time being - there will always be things to do), here are some pictures of before and after pictures....or more precise...before and in the process pictures.



HOME PICTURES BEFORE CLOSE OF ESCROW



HOME PICTURES BEFORE ESCROW AND AFTER ESCROW - RENOVATIONS BEGIN


We will put up before and after photos as soon as we get things in order and the dust all cleaned up.

The Wedding...

We had such a great time at our wedding. Thank you to everyone that was able to make it and share in on the celebrations; And thank you to everyone that has blessed and supported us before, on, and after the wedding. We certainly are two lucky in love people.

Here are some pictures of the wedding for your enjoyment. We hope you had as much fun as we did.

Options....Options....Options

I wanted to list a few other places that people can stay at here in San Pedro, CA. Now I'm not sure how these hotels will pan out, but they are options none the less.

Sunrise Hotel San Pedro

525 S Harbor Blvd.

San Pedro, CA 90731

310-548-1080

This place is not too far from downtown San Pedro area. It is near to where the reception will be held. When I called there, I was quoted at around $79-$99 per night. It seems like a nice option.

Clarion Inn

111 S Gaffey St.

San Pedro, CA 90731

310-514-3344

This hotel is practically right off the freeway when you stroll into San Pedro. I think I saw an online quote of around $70-$149 per night. This could possibly be an option for saving a little cash.

Vagabond Inn

215 S Gaffey Street

San Pedro, CA 90731

310-831-8911

This hotel is right next door to the Clarion Inn. All rooms appear to be accessed from outside, unlike the Clarion Inn which you access the rooms from within the building. The online quote I saw for this place was around $76.45-$109 per night.

Pacific Inn & Suites

516 W 38th St

San Pedro, CA 90731

310-514-1247

To me this place looks more like a motel than anything, but if you are looking for a cheaper option, then this may be a choice. I believe I saw an online quote for about $60 per night. For me, I'm not sure this would be on my list of places, but some are more adventurous than I am.

We look forward to seeing everyone that can make it to the wedding. We wish we could invite everyone we know and love, but unfortunately our pockets aren't that deep. We are excited to announce that we have now added to our stress by looking into purchasing a home. These days are fun and there isn't a time of day when we are not busy or busying ourselves with school work, work work, home searching, wedding planning, and just life in general. We all know how crazy busy life can get.

Love to all!

Registry

So....there are many options out there for gift registry to provide your guests with an idea of what to give the adorable newly weds for their home. This is of course if they decide to give a gift. I love giving gifts for weddings, but I also like to have choices....a mix between high and low prices so that I may choose at my leisure what I can and cannot afford. We went to register with a place and were informed that with our estimated guest list, our registry should have at least 300 items on it. Crazy right. We are only estimating between 120-150 people....300 items seems a tad much. We did our best to register for things we would use and tried hard to have a variety of different items and prices. With the 3 places - Bed, Bath, and Beyond (# 11990158), Target (#013247000000110), and a few items at Crate&Barrel (#4619973) - we hope we got things covered. Now we just need to clean it up and make sure we are not doubling up on things.

Happy shopping if you so desire ;)

* Bed, Bath, and Beyond(# 11990158)

* Target (#013247000000110)

* Crate&Barrel (#4619973)

Lodging in San Pedro

So I was looking in the area for a couple good hotels to recommend. There are many options in the area, but two very common and prestigious places. These will unfortunately be on the pricey end, but they are well known.

OPTION 1:

Los Angeles Harbor Hotel - Crowne Plaza
601 S. Palos Verdes St.
San Pedro, CA 90731
1-800-972-2576
(310) 519-8200

Weekend Rates:
Double Beds ~ $136-$184/night
King Bed ~$128-$174/night

OPTION 2:

Doubletree Hotel San Pedro
2800 Via Cabrillo Marina
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 514-3344

Weekend Rates:
Queen/King bed ~$169-$199/night
Double beds ~$179-$199/night

I am just doing these two for now. The Doubletree hotel is directly across the street from where our ceremony will be held. Do keep in mind that there are alternative places to stay, but they may be less desirable, yet they most likely will be a tad cheaper. I'll give you a list of a few of those places as well in another posting.

The Infamous Cake Topper

It has been fun searching on the internet and gathering ideas for our wedding. Recently, there has been a search for the cake topper. We couldn't decide what should adorn the top of our cake. Something different, something unique in its own way. We didn't really want something porcelain or plastic. Flowers are always an option, but not sure if that was the way we wanted to go. But then I found Etsy again. I have visited Etsy.com and I have run across things posted on Etsy, but I haven't really sat down and searched through the beautiful creative pieces located on that site.

Yet low and behold, by taking the time to rummage through Etsy, we have found our cake topper. Love Birds. We could not pass up the cute, neat little birds made by one of the many creative people found on Etsy. So to conclude my rant - Be prepared to see our custom made Love Birds perched atop our tasty cake. The picture posted above is a similar order, but not exactly what we desired.