Saturday, April 28, 2007

Shopping is tiring.....

Another fun day registering....and we are exhausted. Mitzi is currently resting her footsies after complaining about her shoes for most of the day. We were happy to run into some friendly faces along the way (Miriam, there is no escaping you ;) ) We also found a great hotel for our out-of-town guests...more info to come later.

As you know, Mitzi and I have always invested our time in community efforts. We found out today that weddingchannel.com will make a 3% donation to the charity of our choice whenever anyone purchases a gift through Macys online registry. We have decided to donate to the American Cancer Society in loving memory of our friends and family who we wish were here, and in honor of survivors who thankfully are.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as we are. Tomorrow, we are taking our cousins to the circus. Mitzi is scared of clowns so this will be a real experience.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Home Sweet Home....

We have figured out one major decision this past week...where we will be living. While Mitzi is busting to share the big news, Michael is going through the logistics just to make sure everything will run smoothly. We plan to have an announcement soon.

A Wonderful Wedding In The Sunshine State




The sun was shining almost as brightly as Mitzi's smile as we headed to Fort Lauderdale for some much needed R&R! We were there for Michael's cousin's Nan's wedding, and being that we are in the middle of wedding plan hooplah, Nan and her husband Howard gave us some incredible ideas. Everyone had an awesome time, especially our "Dancing Divas" Brittany & Pam. And we must admit that both of us were a bit misty-eyed.....thinking of our own wonderful plans for the future.

Love Is.....Reuniting With Some Of Our Favorite People








Our trip to Fort Lauderdale also provided us a chance to reunite with some of our favorite people, including one of Michael's oldest and dearest friends, Julie (known in Mrs. Tucker's second grade class as Juliet), her husband Jeff, and the two children Michael refers to as his "little marshmallows" Sophie and Ty. As the kids get older, Michael thinks that they are looking more and more like the "Love Is..." kids from the seventies (Michael's mom had the whole glass set.) Can you see the resemblance?


In addition, Michael had the chance to reunite with his Cousin Rozzie who he hasn't seen in more than 20 years! Rozzie and Michael were very close, until Roz moved to Florida. Always young at heart, she even played coke & pepsi with the kids at Michael's bar-mitzvah. It's obvious from the photo above that Florida has been great to her and g-d willing, we are looking forward to having her join us in May 2008!!!


Lastly, the trip gave us some time to hang out with our wonderful family, including Brittany, Pam, Danny, cousins Joy & Ron, Marc & Anne and one of the only people who can put Danny in his place, Aunt Norma (who has requested chocolate martinis for our wedding....we will see what we can do ;) )

Google-Eyed

We were so excited when we heard that our dear family friend, Bob, wanted to comment on the blog. Alas, he didn't post his note because he did not want to open a google blogger account. Of course, we love to read comments, so if the blogger comment system leaves you a bit "google-eyed," e-mail your comments to michaeljsacks@comcast.net and we will be glad to share them. Here's Bob's note:

Congrats M&M:
You both sound thrilled, and I am very happy for you and
both your families. I like the narrative and pictures and can't
wait to see the wedding night photos. Have fun and see you in Fla.
Bob

Hopefully, Bob meant he can't wait to see the wedding reception photos. Knowing us, any photos of us taken afterwards will feature two very blissful thirty-somethings sound asleep...rather boring if you ask me :)

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Lambchops and champagne--the perfect way to kick things off!

We are so lucky to surround ourselves with amazing friends and family, and we can't wait to celebrate with all of you in the coming months. This past Sunday night, we were treated to a special lambchop dinner courtesy of our friends Jason and Stephanie. No one can make lamb like Stephanie (Mitzi is trying....but she is not there yet.) Not only did we partake in delicious food and enjoy great conversation, but we also had a chance to hang out with Jason and Stephanie's awesome son Avi....a treat in itself. This weekend, we are off to Florida to spend some time with our friends Julie and Jeff and "Michael's favorite marshmallows" Tyler & Sophie, and attend our cousin's wedding.

We are registered!

I can't believe that we have been engaged almost three weeks....it's very exciting! In addition to all the pre-wedding prep, we set up two gift registries this weekend. Needless to say, we had a ball imagining all the wonderful things we will need for our future together, but the day left us positively exhausted. You can visit our registries on-line (check out the links to the left.) I do not think either of us realized what an extensive project this is turning out to be....china and bedding and pots and pans and oh so much more. Michael took a particular liking to Alessandro the very dapper corkscrew from Bed Bath & Beyond, while Mitzi has fallen for the plush bedding from Macys. You can also check out our unique octagon china pattern, which we both fell in love with. Keep visiting for updates! And if would like to buy us a gift, please remember to bring your coupons to both stores and be on the lookout for sales. After all, when you save more, you can buy more ;) xxxoooo, M&M

PS As we mentioned, we are constantly adding to the registries and we still have a long way to go...flatware, towels, glassware, etc. Plus, we are going to start up a registry on judaicgift.com as well. Do you have any suggestions on unique items we can register for? Perhaps, items that you registered for when you were getting married? If you do, send us a comment. Remember to keep it clean :) This is a family-friendly blog.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

The Proposal in Michael's Words

Sent out Sunday night:


I am sure by now, most of you have heard the exciting news of the weekend…Friday night,I proposed to Mitzi, the light of my life, and she gleefully said yes (even before looking at the ring I nervously placed on her finger.) It has been a whirlwind of a weekend and now that I have a moment, I thought I would quickly share what happened and my thoughts…

As many of you know, Mitzi has been waiting for this proposal for quite a while now. I traveled to North Carolina to ask for her parents’ blessings…we set a wedding date, put a deposit down on the synagogue, made an appointment to meet the caterer….etc…The big moment had to come sooner or later, but the big question was when….and I was intentionally driving Mitzi crazy….We spent endless hours looking at ring after ring, going into Bernie Robbins, Bailey Banks and Biddle and trekking Samson Street. I had perfected a glazed, confused “they are all looking the same” look as we entered into each store. I explained that I was perplexed, nervous to buy her a ring she would not like….when, all along, I had my plans perfectly carved out.

On Friday evening, Mitzi thought we were joining our good friends Jill and Craig at the Continental for dinner. (Little did Mitzi know that only hours before, my pal Craig was getting his gallbladder taken out so there was no way he would be up to swilling martinis and dining on lobster mashed potatoes. ) For quite a while, she has been requesting (ie nagging) me to return to the restaurant where we first met, El Vez, to have our photo taken in the restaurant’s photo booth. I suggested that since it was a lovely evening, we stop there on our way to dinner. She told me that she thought I was unusually happy this evening and she couldn’t figure out why. (Apparently, I am normally a bit grumpy after the work week….some of you are nodding right now). When we arrived at the photo booth, I had mentioned that this would be the ideal place to propose, although Mitzi didn’t think much about it, since I said that once before and she thought I was going to propose in the middle of the King of Prussia food court, and then I didn’t.

I then got on my knee and said look how perfect this looks….if only I had a ring….again, she had this smirk on her face…..and then I said “wait a minute” and I opened my jacket to pulled out the ring Mitzi always wanted…an oval diamond with pears on the side surrounded by pave, a ring that almost sparkles as much as she does. That’s when Mitzi lost it, and I must admit I teared up a bit too. Since we were in a photo booth, I thought it would be appropriate to tell Mitzi that she has made my life picture perfect and I asked her to be my wife. I think she said yes….I never heard it…all I remember is her screaming “we’re engaged” into her cell phone as we trekked down the streets of Old City. (And yes, we did take photos in the picture booth.) The evening continued with a surprise dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Buddakan, and ended at my parents’ house where my folks and my sister unveiled a beautiful cake, champagne….and one more big surprise for my soon-to-be blushing bride….her parents, who flew in from North Carolina to celebrate with us.

It was quite a special celebration, befit for a very special woman.

Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I had been quite jaded when it comes to dating. I never felt that I would be able to find a woman who complements me in every way….who deals with my overly aggressive neatness and my occasional cantankerous nature, while at the same time cheering me on, encouraging me, supporting me, teaching me and appreciating me. I certainly recognized that it was a daunting task. I felt as though I was fighting an uphill battle and many times, I felt defeated. I have been so blessed in my life….I have incredible parents, a sister who doubles as one of my dearest friends, a phenomenally loving family and friendships which have spanned decades…yet, I always felt that one piece was missing and truth be told, I was not sure I would ever find it.

Mitzi has captured my heart in a way that no one has….with a warmth, love, understanding and support that I have never experienced before in this way. She is the type of woman I know my parents have always wished for me, smart, funny, compassionate, caring to a fault…..and I know that just as she has touched my life, she has succeeded in touching many of yours as well, which makes me love and adore her even more. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter-in-law for my parents or a better sister-in-law for Brittany. She is the complete package, through and through.

I could continue, but I think you understand where I am coming from. To many of you, who have sent texts, voice mails and e-mails my and Mitzi’s way, I thank you. We are still getting through many of them…..To those of you who knew my plans, called to wish me luck, cheered me on and kept the secret, I thank you…To my parents, Brittany, Ed and Fay who helped to make this weekend so memorable, a million thanks to you….. And to the woman who truly lives up to her soon-to-be-former last name, “Mitzi Joy” I thank you….not just for saying yes, but for being the best thing that ever happened to me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.

Love, Michael

The Proposal in Mitzi's Words

Sent out Saturday 3/31 at 6:38 am:

Good morning friends and family!

It's pretty early for a Saturday, but I have been awake for around an hour and half and cannot go back to sleep after the best day of life. Michael proposed to me last night! As you can well imagine, I said YES!!! This response was so natural and meant to be....he truly is the most amazing man whom I respect, admire, appreciate, and love with all of my heart. We compliment each other in the way two are meant to be and we are so fortunate to have found this, which we both waited for a very long time for. We have found our Beshert...destined one.

Last night was magical with Michael's style throughout the evening. The plan (or so I thought) was that we were going to meet our wonderful friends, Jill and Craig, at the
Continental restaurant at 8. I had been wanting Michael and I to revisit the place of our first date (El Vez). Although the food isn't great, they have a cool photo booth and since it is so special to us I wanted to go back for a momento. Michael said he wanted to go ahead and stop by there, take our picture and have a mojito before we met Jill and Craig. I thought that was such a nice thing, seeing that he knew I really wanted to do it and we kept putting it off since our first anniversary.

The place was packed! We went into the booth, Michael pulled the four bucks our for the pics (remember when they were fifty cents!). It was a tight squeeze as most booths are, so Michael had me sit on the stool while he prepared for the pics. He looked at me and innocently commented that he realized how cool it would be if we were to get engaged there. I agreed, not wanting to make him feel bad b/c I thought we were still looking for rings, and then he opened his jacket button and pulled out a box! This is where I started freaking out. Michael got down on one knee and said the most beautiful words I've ever heard..."because you have made my life picture perfect...Mitzi Joy, will you marry me?" I won't ever fully be able to explain how I felt..I was laughing and crying and literally hyperventilating at the same time. I couldn't let go of Michael's neck for what seemed like forever and when I caught my breath, I said yes! I then looked down at the most amazing ring I've ever seen, yet it looked like the one that was always meant to be on my hand (more about that in a second). Michael was so nervous he forgot which finger to put it on! After we fumbled a little bit, he put it on my hand and we took our pictures which will soon be framed and sat there as long as we needed. Of course I was telling everyone we saw (strangers!) about the good news!

Afterwards, Michael took me to a fabulous dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Buddakan and we texted as many friends and family we could. It was so much fun. The one problem is that I couldn't reach my parents! Michael told me they knew it would happen this weekend, but didn't know the date. The evening went on and I had spoken to everyone but them because I couldn't get through to them! After we picked my bag up from my house, we decided to stop by Michael's parents in NJ to show them the ring. I was really disappointed b/c the only thing that would have mae the evening better was to speak with my mom and dad, but I had decided I wouldn't let it spoil the evening and that I would just have to talk to them the following day....my amazing aunts helped me to calm down in regards to this.

When we got to the house, we saw everyone and there was a cake and champagne for us that Brittany (Michael's sister who's home for Passover) had sweetly put out for us. Everyone was celebrating and Just as I was complaining about not speaking to my parents, I looked up and saw my wonderful father with my mother behind. I was again, speechless and overwhelmed beyond words. They had flown in earlier that evening! Michael had been planning this the entire time---organizing everything in the thoughtful manner he always does things. This wasn't an easy thing, to say the least. How he was able to keep everyone tight lipped is beyond me!

You can imagine the excitement and joy. It was a PERFECT evening! We stayed up laughing, talking and having a great time. My parents are in town for the entire weekend and we're going to spend the day in Philadelphia with them.

It's now day break and I'm so happy because I can't wait for everyone to wake up and start the day! Thank you for taking time to read this. I know it's long, but I wanted to share as much as I could with each of you. I can't wait to also show you the gorgeous ring Michael gave me. I will send a picture later, but it won't do it justice. It's a magnificent oval diamond with diamond pears on each side. Around all of this is pave diamonds that go into two bands. It's spectacular, just like my fiance.

Stay tuned for pictures. Thanks again for reading this and thank you for all of the well wishes, prayers, and support.

We love you!
Mitzi (to be Mitzi Sacks on May 4, 2008) and Michael

Welcome to our on-line home!

It's the most exciting time of our lives....so we are told. Mitzi and I are getting married May 4, 2008 and since our family and friends mean so much to us, we have decided to take you along for the ride. You will have the chance to share our trials and tribulations as we prepare for the biggest day of our lives. So, welcome, bookmark this page, and be prepared to join us as we head toward the aisle.

Love, M&M