MOVED!

Hello readers, I have finally gotten most of these entries moved to my new WordPress site, which is located at www.rangerandrider.com.

If you would like to continue reading my blog entries, they will now be posted on that website.

Thanks :)

Brittanie

The TJHSST Pi-Miler 2013

Saturday morning my brother and I braved the threat of terrible weather to run the 3rd Annual Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Pi-Miler!  The run was 3.14 miles (hence the name), and consisted of a loop through the nearby neighborhoods of TJ.  I needed a race in my half-marathon training to push me a little bit, and since Tristan went to TJ for high school, I knew I could "rope" him in to running it with me!  The weather held up, and it turned out to be a gorgeous day.

The first mile was my best, and the last two were unfortunately difficult.  My heart was beating irregularly fast (bad idea to drink coffee pre-race?!) and my legs became tired, so my brain started telling me I couldn't finish.  Even with lots of mental games, I finished with a decent time of 29:16, which put me at about 9:29 per mile.  This was a LOT slower than last year.  I need to kick up my game over the next six weeks to get ready for that grueling 13.1.

And... we're off!

Charlie C. Goldsmith

I am pleased to announce the newest addition to the Goldsmith family.  A five pound, three-month black miniature poodle.  "Charlie" is named after the company Nathan deployed to Afghanistan with (the Comanches, or C-Company).  He was found on the internet, which has brought me lots of luck with my previous relationships, so he must be meant to be!  He was also born the month of our wedding, so every year we celebrate our anniversary we will have to celebrate his birthday as well.

Charlie has been very sweet, though shy, and LOVES Keana.  He also enjoys following me EVERYWHERE.

I was on Etsy the other day and found this gem, which I could not resist as a gift for Nathan.  A collar made out of army ACU's, the same material he wears to work every day.  The designer is "Chi-wa-wa Gear" and they make all sorts of neat dog collars and supplies.  

Happy Birthday Charlie (December 4, 2012), and welcome to the Goldsmith family!!

Staunton, BBQs, Races, & Snow Days

Whew, the last two weeks have been yet another whirlwind in the life of the Goldsmith family!  Nathan and I have been very busy getting things together, trying to organize our living space to a state of comfort, and planning trips to take in the next few months.

Learning the "Five Love Languages"

February 22-24 was a Leadership Retreat with Nathan's guys from the Old Guard.  It was held at the Holiday Inn Staunton in Staunton, Virginia, and was based on the "Five Love Languages."  I thought it was very interesting and we had a great time hanging out with the guys I hear so much about on a daily basis!

We also had a chance to drive down to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, which is where Nathan went to college.  It is a completely different world when you compare their campus to where I went to school in North Carolina!

Nathan's old "marching grounds"

The next week was tough, as I was sick a lot.  Seemed to catch every bug going around, which was not fun at all!  Of course, Nathan got a little congested, but never sick.  I like to call him "Major Payne," because he just has a little weirdness for an hour or so and then is good to go.

Last weekend, we went to a BBQ of the leadership in Nathan's company. It was a very fun time and it made me happy to continue to meet the guys from Nathan's company and hear all the stories of how amazingly hard those guys work every day.

Pre-race smiles

Sunday we ran one of the Spring Backyard Burn trail races at Hemlock Overlook Park in Clifton, Virginia.  It consisted of five miles of trail running, with the choice to do ten instead (we chose five- it was challenging enough).  The route was exhausting and extremely tough.  Those trail runs are difficult because you have to watch where you're putting your feet all the time, and climbing steep hills in mulch is exhausting.  We were glad to both finish, though we both felt a little disappointed with our times.



We've entered another one in April, so hopefully we can improve by then.  I have also entered a 3.14 mile race in a week or so, which I'm looking forward to doing in preparation for my next half marathon on April 28th!

Hooah!

Brittanie

Our Perfect Wedding

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Words do not describe how wonderfully perfect our wedding turned out to be.  It was held December 29, 2012 at the Fort Belvoir Officers' Club in Fort Belvoir, VA.  Everything didn't go as planned, but it didn't matter.  Our friends and family were all there, we had plenty of food, and we had fantastic music to keep everyone entertained.  I'll spare the details and let you see for yourselves :)  All photo credit to Kristi Odom Photography.  Please consult her if you are interested in purchasing a photo you see on this website.  All photos are owned by myself and Kristi, and may not be reproduced.  Thank you!

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Our Amazing Wedding Vendors

It is now so strange to stop and think about the insanity of the past year.  It feels like yesterday that Nathan and I were communicating on Skype while he sat in a bunker in Afghanistan- talking about how much I would love to visit Hawaii and hearing about his wonderful family in Charlottesville.  I was never one for cliche's and never one to believe in that "moment" when you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with.  Until I met Nathan.  You could say we met through mutual friends, or at a bar (Hunan's in Clarendon!), or online, or in a dream... but all I can say is the moment I first saw him I leapt into his arms and it was all over, butterflies and everything.  Long story short: we fell in love, met the parents, got engaged, and had the most spectacular, amazing, more-than-we-could-ever-ask-for wedding ("and we all lived happily ever after...").

Total Spent: Too Much :)

I will warn you now, this entry is going to be a long one!

I want to start all this by pointing out the most talented group of vendors a bride could possibly ask for, which is what my event planner called "The Dream Team."  They never missed a beat and pulled our great party together in five months (July to December)... It can be done!

WEDDING PLANNER - Events in the City DC - Laura Ritchie

Laura Ritchie is AMAZING.  She gets down to the nitty gritty details and always knows exactly what she's talking about.  She was the first planner I interviewed, and knew from the moment she arrived she was the planner for this wedding.  She is young and excited about being spunky with details, but keeps it traditional when it matters.  She had some fantastic ideas for everything, and I was so lucky to have her help!  On the day of the wedding, she coordinated absolutely everything, including truck decorations and final clean-up.

Laura Ritchie (right) opens the door for the bride & groom "first look"
Photo credit: Kristi Odom Photography

VENUE & CATERING - Fort Belvoir Officers' Club - Trinetta

The Fort Belvoir Officers' Club was a perfect venue for our military-themed wedding.  We had heard quite a bit of complaints from other brides about getting in touch with the Club, but we had a very active wedding planner to solve that problem!  Trinetta was our main contact, and we stuck with her for the details.  At one point about two weeks out from the wedding we were contacted by another staff member who said we had not decided what food we were going to have at the wedding, but once we had spoken to Trinetta we were able to smooth it out.  Advice - stick with Trinetta.  She knows what she's doing.

The Fort Belvoir Officers' Club
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

PHOTOGRAPHER - Kristi Odom Photography - Kristi Odom

Kristi is the most talented photographer and I was so extremely lucky to have her photograph the wedding.  She was there the entire day, took family photos, artsy photos, and generally gorgeous bride/groom photos.  I have heard through the grapevine she is going to pursue wildlife photography, and as sad as I am to hear she won't be doing many weddings I am so incredibly excited for her!!  Every photograph in this entry is a photograph taken by Kristi.  Please do not disrespect her amazing photography!  If you would like a copy of a photo you see on this website, you can contact Kristi directly to discuss.

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

HAIR & MAKEUP - Hair and Makeup Artistry by Claudine - Claudine Fay

Claudine Fay is a truly wonderful hair stylist and makeup artist.  She was on the wedding planner's "Dream Team" list, and was easy to set up an appointment for a trial.  The trial consisted of a complete updo and makeup, and pictures to remember the style.  Four months later she was at the wedding venue at 8:30am ready to work with an assistant to do the bridesmaids' makeup.  Her styling is gorgeous and I was getting comments all night about how beautiful my hair and makeup was!  She's quick, detailed, and doesn't overdo it with makeup, just keeps it very natural.  I would use her again in a heartbeat.  My bridesmaids loved her, too!

Hair & Makeup by Claudine Fay
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

MY DRESS & ACCESSORIES - David's Bridal Springfield

Mom and I went in to David's Bridal a week after I had become engaged to get some ideas before we went to look at a bigger designer.  I had tried on a gorgeous dress, but we just didn't love it, so I just kept trying on more.  There was a girl next to me with her posse showing them the finalist dresses she had already tried on before, and then she tried this one dress on that blew everyone away.  Mom and I looked at each other, and when she took it off we stole it from her dressing room to try on!!  We loved it, and bought it that day.

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

FLORIST - Brookhill Florist - Noelle van der Eijk and Mike Lucas

Mike and Noelle are like flower gurus.  They create the most beautiful and unique flower arrangements!  They were on the vendor list from Fort Belvoir, but were also recommended by the wedding planner, so I knew we had to use them (plus, we got a discount from the Officers' Club!).  We had a pre-wedding appointment to decide the arrangements, and Mike was very helpful in telling us which flowers would be in season for our December wedding.  We decided on roses, dusty miller, amaryllis, alstroemeria, posies, hydrangea, stock, and winter kale.  It was all absolutely gorgeous.

Flowers by Brookhill Florist
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

DJ & LIGHTING - Premier DJ Services - Dan Huynh

Dan was an absolute HIT at our wedding.  He was playing old-school tunes, modern tunes, alternative, country, and top hits, with no stall.  Everyone was on the dance floor at one point (even my grandmother!) and I was getting comments days after the wedding about what a fun DJ he was.  Before the wedding, I handed him a "must play," "likes," and "do not play" list, and he created his own playlist from my suggestions.  It was perfect.  My dad decided to write a song for our father/daughter dance, and sent it to Dan to upload the day before the wedding, which turned out to be a wonderful surprise for me.  I would recommend him for any wedding in a second.

The songs we chose were:
First Dance: "I Won't Give Up" - Jason Mraz
Father/Daughter Dance: "The Dance" - Chris Hardy
Mother/Son Dance: "I Hope You Dance" - Lee Anne Womack
Bouquet Toss: "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor
Garter Toss: "Holding Out for a Hero" - Bonnie Taylor
Garter/Bouquet Winners: "Nothing is Gonna Stop Us Now" - Starship

Dan also did the lighting for us for both the ceremony and the reception.  He lit the columns of the ceremony with an amber glow, and switched out the lights for the reception to a very icy blue color.  It was perfect!

Dan in the background!
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

ORCHESTRA - Sage String Quartet - Kyung LeBlanc

Sage was a perfect addition to our ceremony.  We found out somewhat last minute that our church would not work out, so we had to adjust to hold the ceremony in the Officers' Club.  My wedding planner suggested Sage as an orchestra for background music, and I contacted Kyung to try and set something up.  They were extremely easy to set up, had a ton of song choices, and were very organized.  My brother-in-law was going to sing a solo, so we gave his contact information to Kyung and they were able to organize a practice session before the wedding.

The songs we selected were:
Intro: "Star Wars Throne Room"
Bride Walk: "Canon in D"
Unity Candle Solo: "You Raise Me Up"
Exit: "Don't Stop Believin'"

Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

CAKES - Sweet Ladies Bakery

The wedding cake we received from Sweet Ladies was absolutely amazing.  We had seen the cake at a vendor show at the Fort Belvoir Officers' Club, and I knew that had to be the cake we chose.  Before the wedding we sat down for a tasting, and decided on layers of almond filling and red velvet filling.  Unfortunately the only time we had to taste the cake was during the cutting, so I wasn't able to taste how wonderful everyone said it was!! But the cake itself was beautiful and perfect and cut smoothly with the army sabre!

Cake by Sweet Ladies Bakery
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

We also purchased a groom's cake from Sweet Ladies in the shape of my husband's Ford truck.  We went with the red velvet cake with chocolate frosting.  It was so detailed and he absolutely loved it, especially the words on the license plate.  It tasted delicious and soft like they had just made it the day before.

Cake by Sweet Ladies Bakery
Photo Credit: Brittanie Goldsmith

ESCORT CARDS & MENUS - District M Creative - Rachel Merkle

One day my wedding planner sent me an email with the subject: "AMAZING IDEA FOR THE DAY OF PAPER!!"  As excited as this subject made me, I had no idea how amazing her idea really was until they arrived at the wedding.  My planner worked with Rachel to design the most amazing escort cards, which were white ink etched on acrylic. They were SO neat!  They also designed some super pretty menu cards, which were gray ink on transparency paper attached to shimmery cardstock and a rhinestone at the top.  It WAS an amazing idea!

Escort Cards by District M Creative
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

Menu Cards by District M Creative
Photo Credit: Kristi Odom Photography

REHEARSAL DINNER - Houlihans

We had spent so much money on the actual wedding, we needed to find a place with good food for the right price.  Everywhere we looked in Alexandria was way too expensive, and we didn't want to go to a pizza place.  I happened upon Houlihans online so mom and I went in to talk with someone.  They promised us a menu of $20 per person and the back room, which was large enough to fit all 30 of us at two long parallel tables.  When we got there for the dinner, the back room was under renovation and we had been placed in a side room with tables everywhere.  Some of us ended up in booths and some at tables, which really separated people from the group.  The food was decent but nothing great, so I suppose you get what you pay for as far as dinners.  We were glad to have our own space in the restaurant.

Rehearsal Dinner
Photo Credit: Chelsea McClung

INVITATIONS - Exclusively Weddings

After doing some shopping around and talking to previous brides, I realized that invitations can get ridiculously expensive.  The designer invitations I chose would have come out to about $1500, so when I ordered samples from Exclusively Weddings, I was relieved to find a similar quality for 1/8 of the price.  My planner said most people end up throwing away the invitations anyway, so as long as they were pretty and not too thin of quality they would be fine.  Unfortunately I didn't realize they would have to be put together until they arrived at my house, but we had a fun time putting them together with some wine and a few girl friends!

RENTALS - DC Rental

DC Rental was super easy to work with for all of our rental gear.  We chose two types of chairs, chivari cream with white cushions for the guest tables and ghost chairs for the bridal party table.  We also picked some really neat clear bubble chargers, and 3 different style linens for the tables.

MISCELLANEOUS

Since I didn't have a personal relationship with the following, I figured I would list them out rather than write a book about each one.  Just keep in mind I didn't have problems with any of the following vendors, so I have no complaints!

Save the Dates - Magnetstreet
Send-off Ribbon Wands - Etsy by tiasdresses
Thank You Notes - Invitations by Dawn
Table Numbers - photoframes.net, pinterest, and Michael's crafts
Bridesmaids Dresses - Wedding Shoppe
Bridesmaids Jewelry & Gifts - David's Bridal
Guest Hotels - the Lorien, the Monaco, and the Hampton Inn
Transportation - Chariots for Hire
Guest List Management - WeddingWire

We Bought A Condo!

Big news today- Nathan and I purchased our very first home, a condo in the highly sought-after Clarendon 1021 building!

I convinced Nathan when he moved here to get an apartment in my dream building, the Market Commons in Clarendon.  After moving in to an apartment (#711) in September, he decided he loved the area.  It's only five minutes from his work, and would be a 15-minute metro ride to mine.  We started talking about our financial situation as a married couple, and were able to acquire a VA loan from his military status.  Our real-estate agent, Brittany Camacho, did an AWESOME job setting us up with a custom MRIS listing, which eventually led us to seeing this apartment the day it was listed, putting an offer down THAT NIGHT, and having it accepted over five other offers two days later!

Nathan was able to get out of the Market Commons lease, but it overlapped by a month with the new condo.  We both went in to sign the papers and done!  We are now the proud owners of a condo in Clarendon, Virginia.

Signed, "overly excited brand-new homeowner,"

Brittanie