Pieces of me and Todd: Our wedding is coming up!

Hi everybody! Hope you're all doing great.

So, we have 4 days for the Brazilian Wedding and we would like to share how things are going down here!

Like you all know, it will be a lunch party and I won't be dressing as a bride. I'll leave that last one for the American wedding ;-) We are going to the Cartorio in the morning, which is the same as the court house wedding in the U.S. and then go to Mom and Dad's house. Take some pictures and stuff....

We are having 62 people over for lunch at the pool area of my Dad's house. We are serving some Brazilian snacks and "batidinhas" (fruit creamy juice with or without vodka) in the beginning. Todd and I will do our vows @ the lunch party and then have the symbolic cake cut. According to Brazilian traditions, we should feed each other a piece of cake, which means that we make each other's life sweeter! ;-)

We give a thank you gift to the best man (my brother Vinícius) and mades of honour (my best friend Tatiana and my twin cousins Rafaela and Roberta). (The girsl will get a candle + cd and Vinicius will get a candle + a book of jokes on politicians - we couldn't help it! hehehe, since his job is related to that)

Then we'll have 2 different types of salads. (Green Salad With a Minced Garlic Mustard Vinagrette and Caprese Salad).

Before lunch is served, Dad will make a toast. We give parents a gift to say thanks for everything.

Lunch is served - Broiled Filet with Madeira wine sauce and Shitake mushrooms, Roasted and sauteéd new potatoes with parsley, Steamed Arborio Rice, Margarita Farfalle *bowtie pasta with dried tomatoes, basil and Buffalo Mozzarella in a Butter Sauce*. Then we have the wedding cake with crunchy ice cream (vanilla with caramelized peanuts) + some little Brazilian candy.

Then we have coffee with some petit fours.

There will be a person playing acoustic guitar and singing in the background. He'll sing MPB, which means Brazilian Popular Music and some "not so loud" Pop Rock. :-p

We promise to take pictures of everything! Am still not sure if we'll have some videos. But we'll send you guys everything. And we'll also take pictures of decoration, table food and all.

Love you all.

Kisses

Mel & Todd

Pieces of me and Todd: Best wishes for our Wedding

We've been getting a lot of best wishes messages from our family and friends, but one in particular, I want to post here.

It's so deep and beautiful...and TRUE!...that I want to share with all of you, and also thank Robin and Kristin Estlick for such beautiful message!

Enjoy!

On your wedding day…and for every day after…Remember that these are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.
These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporarily comes your way.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.
These are the hands that will give you support and encouragement to chase down your dreams.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.
These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Pieces of me and my babe: Wedding Prepps

Oh My God! Wedding celebrations take a lot of research, time, walking around, buying and prepping. You have no idea! But it's sooooo much fun.

My babe and I will get married next month, and we decided to do a few things ourselves, instead of buying them. To celebrate the occasion, we'll have a wedding lunch with the closest friends and family only for now. Eventually, we'll do the big fancy thing for more people and all.

One of the things we're doing are called "bem casados", which in portuguese means "well wed", and basically, they are two shortbread cookies with a doce de leite filling. I say cookie cause it's easier to picture them, but the dough is actually a cake dough. Some people also use chocolate for the filling. Bem casados are a party favour to the guests. And this is one of the things we are making ourselves.

bem casados after they've been wrapped. Usually people use the color of the party.

And this is how they look like. They are delicious. There are many different flavors, but the traditional ones are doce de leite (the middles ones) and chocolate.

Another thing we had to take care was the fabric for my dress. Since now we are only getting married at the court house, I'm not going to dress in a wedding dress, but a cute outfit can't be left out, right?We bought some pretty lavender fabric and some pearl satim for my dress which will be hand-made by a professional seamstress. I draw the dress myself. :o)

We also made the invitations ourselves, and hired a print shop to print them. We'll send you the invitations, even knowing that you can't be present, cause we think it's a cool souvenir. And don't worry, we'll send the translation of the portuguese text as well!

We already decided the meal, which will be a brazilian dish called Feijoada, plus the cake and some candies. We ordered a lavender cake decorated with yellow flowers. Very pretty.

Feijoada

Another thing we did this week is that we bought Todd's suit. For the 1st time EVER, he was wearing the full set. He was soooooooo handsome...OH MY GOD! It's dark grey, w/ a grey shirt and a lavender tie.

Well, I guess that's it for now.

We'll keep you posted.

Hugs and Kisses

Mel & Todd

Pieces of me: Engagement Rings

Yesterday Todd and I went to the mall to look at engagement rings. We're so happy. And found the perfect set. Once they are done, will post pictures of them here. The picture in this post is not of our engagement rings. This is just to ilustrate this post. Ours is WAAAAAAAYYYYY prettier! ;-)

In Brazil, both bride-to-be and groom-to-be wear an engagement ring. The tradition is very different in Brazil, if you are getting engaged both of you have to wear an engagement ring on your right hands.

They must be made of gold, both rings must be equal and it's very common to engrave the names inside of the rings, or names + special date. Then, when you get married, you switch, you put the ring on the left hand, or you get new ones.

We already know what we'll engrave: Bebê Todd for mine (bebê means baby in portuguese) and Sweet Melissa for his. HAPPY!!!! :o)

Pieces of me: Happiness.

Click on each image to see it bigger!

Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope and endurance. There are three things in the world that last forever: faith, hope, and love. Love is definitely the greatest of them all.

Pieces of us: God in our lives.

Most of the time, people forget to thank God for the things that are going good in their lives. More often than you can imagine, people turn their eyes and mind to the skies to ask for something in times of trouble, but never in times of blue-skies and sunshine.

For quite some time now, things are going GREAT. And I realized that I should thank God for these things. So today, this post, I dedicate to my prayers to God. And I would also like to ask in favor of others.

I got the best family in the world - supportive, honest, caring and united. A boyfriend who is already family as well, and he's way better than everything that I've prayed for. Please keep them safe, everyday.

Follow them wherever they go, and bring them home safe for me.

Keep an eye on all my friends. It's a lot of people, I know...but I swear they all deserve. You may need a team to help You out, cause they are all over the world.

And last but not least, may You be present in all regions of the world that are marked by conflicts, hunger, death and other problems. May the people fell You by their sides and feel encourage to face all these situations. But honestly, I pray You put an end to it.

Thanks!

Amen.

Pieces of me: Back home.

Mel & Todd, now living in Brasil!

Pieces of me: 29 years old. (or should I say "almost 30!?")

So I just turned 29 years old, and I finally find myself running that last round up to the 30s. That ain't so bad! Actually, in my opinion, that's freaking AWESOME!
In 364 days I'll finally be able to call my self a "Balzac Woman". I'll throw a hell of a party and celebrate in big style!

But what I want do here is tell you all GIRLS what's so awesome about being almost 30 so that, when you finally make it to 30, you have great reasons to be happy about it!

And, for the man who read this, here are some reasons for you to be thrilled about having a 30 (or almost 30) years old by your side.

A woman at her 30s knows who she is and the power she's got. She doesn't play the games that the younger ones play to test their own capacity. She plays her own games, way more interesting and exciting. To be with a 30 years old woman is to teach and learn at the same time. She's the perfect lover and, at the same time, your best friend and partner, able to understand and enjoy all those pop references that took you decades to collect. She'll adorably laugh when remembering the music video of "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", or will be a surviving fan of the Jackson 5, and that's worth GOLD! It's possible to discuss philosophy after the best sex in the world or, believe it or not, have the best sex in the world after discussing philosophy, and I personally indicate Sartre! She surrenders herself to Love, truly and deeply. She gets passionate about everything in your life. She lives to the fullest, every single second!

So, happy B-day to me, and to all other 29 years old and beyond!

Can't wait to celebrate my third decade of life! It' gonna be a hell of a party!

P.S. Baby, you're the perfect gift to every single B-day that I'll have. I love you, always!

Pieces of all of us: I SUPPORT PETA!

I was shocked to learn that the Canadian government will allow 338,200 seals to be slaughtered in this year's annual war on seals, all for a product that no one needs. These gentle animals are shot or have their skulls smashed in. Then they are skinned for their fur - often while they are still conscious.
All eyes are on Canada as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Please help end the seal slaughter immediately so that the reputation of the Vancouver Olympic Games won't be tarnished.

The Canadian government has begun its annual war on seals. This year, sealers will beat and skin up to 338,200 of these gentle animals. Now more than ever before, it is vital to speak up and demand a permanent end to the cruel seal slaughter and to urge everyone you know to speak out as well.
All eyes are on Canada as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. This extra attention will bring increased scrutiny and comes with the added responsibility of setting a positive example for the world. That's why we are calling on the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to use its clout to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter.
During Canada's annual seal massacre, hundreds of thousands of baby seals are shot or have their skulls crushed, all for the sake of "fashion." Sealers routinely hook seals in the eye, cheek, or mouth to avoid damaging the pelt, then drag the seals across the ice, in many cases without checking to ensure that they are unconscious.
Baby seals stand no chance against club-wielding trappers, and they must look on as fellow pups are bludgeoned to death before meeting the same bloody fate. The anguish that a mother seal feels as she watches her baby being beaten to death just a few feet away from her is horrifying and can be heard in her desperate cries and seen in her attempts to get to her baby.
Please write to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee and demand that it help bring an immediate end to the seal slaughter. Share this action alert with everyone you know. A few minutes of your time will make a huge difference for baby seals.

TAKE ACTION!!! Urge the Olympic Committee to Help End the Canadian Seal Slaughter. GO TO http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/seal_hunt_09

HELP PETA BY SHOPPING THEIR CATALOG. THERE ARE VERY NICE AND CUTE THINGS! GO TO https://www.petacatalog.org/default.asp

Pieces of all of us: Where's the contribution to a better world???

While visiting a friend's blog called INDI(A)GESTÃO I came across a very interesting post.
It's a projection made by the U.N. on which will be the most populous cities in the world by 2015.

As you can see, my city (Sao Paulo) comes in 4th. Nothing to be proud of.....

More people = more noise, more traffic, more pollution, more garbage, etc, etc, etc...all over the globe!

They also have a table on the most populous countries. China, India, USA, Indonesia and Brazil are still taking the lead....and again, nothing to be proud of!

Take a look......and use a CONDOM!!! (Or at least plan when it comes to having kids. It's good for you, good for the world, and even better for your future kids to be born in a well planed family!)