Inspiring People: Greta McLain

Today I woke up and saw this super fresh wedding announcement and it was so cool that I had to come here and post about it. It is two-sided, I have shared the front side.

My friend and sweet local artist, Greta is getting married on the same day as me.

FACT: If I was not me but a guest invited to both of our weddings, without a doubt, I would attend Greta's celebration in a HEARTBEAT.

Why? Well, for one because her invites are way cooler, and well, I know the diva, and it is going to be a grand party--truly a wedding of champions.

They are doing a processional style wedding that will take place over a weekend in Mpls. that can be reached by bike or the metro (truly green/sustainable) and they have invited everyone they know and are doing it potluck-style! Talk about a true and wonderful celebration of love and marriage while being surrounded by their whole community.

After reflecting on our wedding choices I have one regret--that we chose a venue that could not contain our entire community. How cool would it be to have all of the people in your life (who want to be there) show up at your ceremony for a big party? In our case we have many friends who we were not able to invite to our wedding because the space was limited--sad deal, but we can only hope they understand.

Obviously money was a factor for us too, but people like Greta remind me that if there is a will, there is a way. We often stop ourselves and let things like money or whatever our excuse is--hold us back from having what we want but a little creative thinking can go a long way.

If I had to do it all over again we would have done something similar to Greta's wedding of champions. We would have gone with our original plan to have a small wedding (10 people) and then follow it up with a big bash in the park--where everyone could be invited and roam in the woods, play volleyball and swim.

But I did not come on here to talk lost pipedreams and moan about our wedding (I already do plenty of that), I came on here to thank inspiring people like Greta for doing it big with the resources they have. Now that's what I call sustainability.

Which leads me to my last point before I get going here--art/creativity + sustainablity = casamiento perfecto. I think why I am drawn to the sustainability movement is definitely connected to environmental concerns but I am also attracted to it because it causes us to change the way we typically think about the world and become creative. The more humans tap into their own creativity the more diverse and rich the world becomes and the more sustainable it is for everyone.

In this case, I feel like Greta, a local, community artist who just naturally created a green wedding truly embodies the unspoken union between creativity and sustainability. Awesome and inspiring, that's all I have to say.

Weddings: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse!

As some of you know I am getting married this year. Woo hooo!!!!

As some of you know, "Wooo hooo!!!" is not the only sentiment attached to weddings. Other emotions like worry, stress, frustration, worry and stress come to mind.

For most people, a lot of these feelings surround the money factor--trying to do it all within a budget.

For me personally, my worry stems more from the wasteful aspect of weddings--my inner environmentalist shakes its finger at me. At the same time, I admit I am not totally altruistic--I want to save money, too. When it comes to reducing waste, money is part of the equation.

So, I write a quick note to the brides and future brides out there about a great idea to help reduce your waste both in materials (save the Earth) and in cost (save your pennies).

Rent or borrow! Well, duh, people do this for tuxes and a lot of items already. But, what about borrowing other stuff, like centerpieces?

We have a close friend, now a happily married woman, who was once a bride. Her name is Crystal. She offered to loan us all of her centerpieces for our wedding. She also offered to help set them up at the wedding too. Sounds too good to be true, but she is truly wonderful.

Unfortunately with our no-waste approach to our wedding, the centerpieces that she had did not fit with our idea, so we had to pass on the offer. However, she already has another friend's wedding lined up to use them. What a great idea!

If you have some old wedding stuff lying around you should consider offering them to your newly engaged friends or better yet, start your own rental business, then weddings can perpetually be a part of your life. Okay, maybe not, I'll leave that up to your creative ambition.

If you don't have a friend with centerpieces to share or if you want to participate but do not want to start your own business, there is a bridal fair that happens at least annually in Minnesota called the I do Redo Sale . At the fair brides from the past come and sell their wedding "stuff" at reduced prices to future brides. In this case it's not renting, but it's definitely recycling, reducing and reusing :)

Also, I recently saw an ad for a local business called What a Wedding! For Less!!! It appears that this idea of saving money and resources is catching on. Based out of Woodbury, Minnesota, this company sets up appointments with couples and they currently rent candelabras, vases, envelope holders, cake-serving sets and other items that add that "special touch" to ceremonies at reduced prices. While this idea is not new at all, I'm excited to see people are investing in such practices.

If you are interested in learning more about What a Wedding! For Less!!! you can call 651-739-6331, email whatawedding@aol.com or check out their website.

What's new? A long, somewhat boring post about myself.

So, I came here without much purpose other than to get back on blogging board which I find will be especially a challenge with the upcoming school year right around the corner and all of the things on my to-do-list just waiting to be checked-off. But who knows, perhaps my learnings from school will continue to inspire blog posts. Time will tell soon enough! That is, if I have enough time.

As far as an update for the few of you who stop to visit my site every now and again, I am winding down from a very busy summer that was filled with working with 18-24 month old babes full-time and then part-time with St. Paul Community Ed. (split time between teaching Spanish to Pre-K students and office registration work). I learned a few things about myself in the process. Number one: What I learned from working at the daycare center is that I love children and cannot wait to have my own! Well, I can wait, seriously, (I need to get my life together before I pop one out)... but rest assured, I will be having babies and loving every minute of it even if it means giving up some of my freedom. Number two: I do not believe I can be a teacher, at least not for a very long time. Maybe when I am fifty I will be ready for it. While I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment as a teacher, from both the difficult and rewarding times-- I can say after about a year of teaching part-time, I do not have the ambition necessary to dedicate myself to the great task of being a teacher. Teachers, I want to let you know how much respect I have for you. I am too selfish right now to give up the energy I need to give so that the students get what they deserve from a teacher. Not the most exciting or honorable of discoveries, but nonetheless this is a discovery I have made that was a question I had once had which was, "Am I a teacher?" While I think the answer to such a question can be subject to change over time, for the time being I can move forward with my career recognizing that teaching at least in the traditional sense will not be in the cards for me, at least for now. Which brings me to my newest endeavor which will be a part-time gig I landed through my University. This school year I will be employed to conduct research on the energy use at my school. Along with facility operations managers and maintenance I will be looking into ways to help save money and energy as well as alternative approaches to energy. I am very much looking forward to this experience and will also be TA-ing for an environmental biology class so I am very happy to share this news and to more officially be part of the green movement--something I have been very passionate about.

Aside from job talk, I spent a lot of time preparing for weddings this summer. My younger sister Lyndi got married to Brian on July 17, 2010. I had a ton of fun planning her bridal shower and bachelorette party as well as being there to support her on her big day. In August I was also able to attend two weddings of some friends, Ab and Crystal Krohne and Katie and Tom Nickerson. Both weddings were beautiful and unique to the couples they represented. Jay and I had a wonderful time and felt honored to be there.

Then we had the opportunity to go on a 6 day 5 night trip to the Quetico (near the BWCA) with Jay's sister Anne and close family friend, Jacci. It was an amazing experience and I felt so blessed and lucky to be part of the trip. Nothing does me like Mother Nature, that's for sure.

Looking ahead, we still have 4 more weddings to celebrate this fall, Amy and Barrett Stoks, Shauna and Tom Hockert, Nick and Ally Rydberg, and Beth and Justin Bradshaw. It should be a blast! Beyond those plans my goal for the next few months is to just get through school with enjoyment and little stress as well as begin to plan my own wedding. Should be a balancing act, but such is life and so we balance as best we can :)

Now its time for an afternoon nap. I hope I didn't bore you too much with the latest details of my life, and I hope you enjoyed your summer and are ready for fall's arrival and the new adventures that come along with the new season!

Thanks for stopping by!