Wedding Invitations, Woops!!

We all make mistakes, and we hope to have the opportunity to learn, and then correct those mistakes in the future. But this one... well, I'm hopping you all learn from this one!! 'Cause wedding mistakes, you hope to have the opportunity only one time.

I designed our wedding invitations, and spent a lot of time & effort, and had a lot of fun doing so. So busy planning, prepping, looking for eco friendly papers, and envelopes... I missed a couple of basics.

1) Not every person needs an invite... usually every household or so. Dope! would have cut my numbers in about half.

2) Square... means more money at the post office. Apparently, the of width of the envelope divided by the height of the envelope, needs to fall between 1.3 and 2.5.

In my case:
6.5 inches wide / 6.5 inches tall = 1 (this does not fall between 1.3 & 2.5)

A regular # 10 envelope:
9.5 inches wide/ 4 inches tall = 2.3 (this is fine)

There are a couple more rules about maximum and minimum width and height... The Post Office has some info here. I could really use one of those plastic place mat things they have at the post office to measure with!

3) Understand your quote. Ask Questions!! I worked with an awesome printer (Gateway Printing) , the prices were fair, and the help and craftsmanship were awesome. I, however, had a few screws loose... did not read the quote correctly, and did not have to presence of mind to make sure I was making the correct assumptions. In the end it would not have made a difference for me here, but man it would have killed me if I had been doing it as a freelance project. We'll chalk this one up to being new.

Wet and more wet

Day two on the trail, started out wet!! We left the cabin, after negotiating with strong willed cotton bearing teenagers, they HAD to put on rain gear, and wear plastic bag skirts! Teachers are so demanding! I think everyone was a little sore, everyone a little tired, everyone dreading the rain. By the top of the steep climb leaving the cabin, the young man sporting some jeans in front of me.. was soaking wet, hiking up his jeans every 2 seconds, as they contined to slide down, rather unfasionably, past his bottom... And here in lays our lesson for today. I have long ago learned to dress for the weather... If I'm worrying about being cold, wet, uncomfortable, I have a hard time focusing on client needs. It has become almost second nature to me, and served me well.. But untill I saw the struggling miserable teenagers, I'd forgoten just how well. Now to be sure, the afore mentioned teenagers had been aprised of how to dress for a trip, what to bring.. But as is the nature of some.. Refused to listen. It made all the diffrence... Singing in the rain, vs "how much longer?"...
Tired, sore, and aching for sure.. I had another wonderful day, dancing through raindrops, warm and smiling.

Hiking the AT

Todays a hazy cool quiet day, some little sprinkles, and beautiful fog. I did my first hike on the AT today, along with a wonderful group of highschool students. 27 pounds of gear and water on my back, and after 8 miles I can tell you, I'm feeling my age. Surprisingly, inspite of many outdoor adventures over the years this is my first backpacking trip. I got to learn about how to filter water, and some of the flora trail side. Right now we're enjoying a cabin... And the kiddos are cooking, strumming the guitar, relaxing and recuperating. My feet will be heavy tomorrow, and my knees cranky... But my spirit light, I'm enjoying this.