Arts & Entertainment

2008-05-26T12:14:00.000-05:00

winter in NH

2008-03-07T16:14:00.000-05:00

What's New?

2007-12-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

We've added some more links in the photos section, so check those out (12/27/07)

more from da honeymoon

2007-11-13T00:21:00.000-05:00

Antequera

honeymoon photos, part 2

2007-11-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

here are some more photos -
these are from the week we had in a timeshare, and from a couple day trips we took from there (one to malaga, and one to tanger, morocco).
enjoy!

benalmadena-malaga-tanger

map of honeymoon

2007-11-05T16:24:00.001-05:00

View Larger Map

hint - head towards spain/portugal if the view shows somewhere else . . .

honeymoon photos

2007-11-03T16:11:00.000-05:00

we'll put up our honeymoon photos bit by bit to let you see where we went.
our first day we landed in lisbon we wandered around the city with our friend deborah, did a night tour of alfama, the historic district where she lives, and then went to this great restaurant for a night of food and fado. yummy!

day 1 & day 2 - lisbon and portugal south of lisbon

portugal

the next day we wandered around on our own, got a rental car (stick shift) and drove out of town headed south . . .

wedding photos

2007-11-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

here are some of the photos taken during the weekend. i'll keep updating this list. if any of you do NOT want your URL listed here, let me know and i'll remove it.
thanks.
e

http://picasaweb.google.com/erichludwig/ErichAlliWedding?authkey=_jRBcC3HaEk (one photo so far from our official photographer - mary beth meehan - http://www.marybethmeehan.com)
Jori's Photos (try her home page first, or try the set of photos of our wedding)
jason's photos - some photos from a's cousin
http://newmradio.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/picture-pages-the-wedding-at-earthdance/
http://newmradio.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/picture-pages-the-wedding-at-earthdance/#more-181
mike's photos
drew's photos
kate's photos
carrie's photos (you must be a kodak gallery member to see these)
dad's collection of photos

awesome video

2007-11-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

this video from our friend mike captures some of the sights of earthdance and the sounds of the women's circle on sunday morning.
wow.

we're back!

2007-11-01T09:37:00.000-05:00

so after much traveling, we are back at home. digging out from the accumulation of mail, email, phone calls, amazing presents, and the mess of the last few weeks of planning before the wedding. we'll put up some stuff about our honeymoon here . . .

to get you started, listen to a little fado.

this is a video from our first night in lisbon, when we stayed with our dear friend deborah. she took us to this great little restaurant in the alfama (the neighborhood where she lives) and we had a great dinner and saw this amazing fado. wow. thank you deborah!!

Countdown!

2007-10-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

The countdown is on. Alli and I are headed up to Earthdance/9 Mt on Thursday to get some quiet time in before you all arrive for the party! We can't wait to get out there, and can't wait for you all to join us. All this planning, all these details, and finally finally we get to celebrate with you, and celebrate our love in front of all of you. We can't wait!
We know some of you have been bugging about the "Look Good, Feel Good" Dress Code. Don't fret. Just come and look good, and feel good. If in doubt, colors always look good.
Just so you know, we'll be asking you all to participate in our wedding in many ways. From actually saying something in the ceremony to perhaps moving a chair, helping us organize some little aspect of the day, or passing the word. . . We hope you'll join us in the fun.
We can't wait to welcome you to the fun!
See you in a minute!
erich & alli

welcome!

2007-05-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

hi there! thanks for visiting the blog. have fun reading around and checking things out. don't forget to look at the history of the blog so you can see our early posts, back in the blissful first days of engagement. =)

muchos besos.

BUS

2007-05-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

There will be a BUS running from select locations in Northampton out to Earthdance on Saturday and Sunday. This will be a very limited schedule since the trip take 30 minutes each way. We encourage you to catch the bus or designate a driver and/or participate in a carpool.

SUNDAY
Bus Pickup Locations and Times: (Tentative - stay tuned!)
Northampton Hotel: 1 pm
Clarion Inn, 1:15 pm

Bus Dropoff Locations & Times:
Bus will leave Earthdance at approximately 9:30 pm
Northampton Hotel, 10:15 pm
Clarion Inn, 10 pm

SATURDAY
Bus Pickup Locations and Times: (Tentative - stay tuned!)
Northampton Hotel: 3 pm
Clarion Inn, 3:15 pm

Bus Dropoff Locations & Times:
Bus will leave Earthdance at approximately 9:30 pm
Northampton Hotel, 10:15 pm
Clarion Inn, 10 pm

Directions to Earthdance

2007-05-23T17:38:00.000-05:00

From the SOUTH and SOUTHEAST (Northampton, MA; Hartford, CT):
Take Interstate I-91 North to Northampton, MA. Take exit 19 and go straight at the stoplight onto Damon Road. Go straight through the next stoplight onto Bridge Road, which leads to Route 9 at Look Park.

Turn right and follow Route 9 West approximately 20 miles towards Pittsfield.
In Cummington, you will pass the turn-off to Route 112 South on your left. Stay on Route 9 for 3.2 more miles. Turn right on Packard Rd., which will turn into Prospect St. when it hits the Plainfield town line. The turn-off onto Packard Rd. isn't obvious, it's after Stage Rd and Beechwood Rd. It's on the right, after a red house and a white house, and before a green house. If you get to West Cummington, you've gone too far.
Proceed one mile up the hill. After the road flattens and straightens out, Earthdance is on the left, just after #262.

From the EAST (Boston, MA):
Take the MA Turnpike (I-90) West to Interstate I-91. Then follow directions in "From the SOUTH."

From the NORTH or NORTHEAST (Greenfield, MA):
Take Route 2 West to Route 112 in Buckland, MA. Follow Route 112 South to Route 116 North in Ashfield (Note: for a short distance, Route 112 and Route 116 join and read as South and North simultaneously!).

When you turn right on Route 116 North, you will continue for eight miles.
After you pass through the village of Plainfield and head down a long hill, turn left on Prospect Street. Go 2.5 miles, just past Mountain Road on the right, and turn into the Earthdance driveway, the second driveway on the right after Mountain Rd.

From the WEST (Pittsfield, MA; Albany, NY):
Take Route 9 East out of Pittsfield. In Dalton, when you turn left onto North St to stay on Route 9, you have 13 miles to go.

When you pass an "Entering Pioneer Valley" sign, it's exactly 2 more miles. Turn left onto Packard Rd, which will turn into Prospect St. when it hits the Plainfield town line.
The turn-off to Packard Rd. is hidden on the left. There's a "School Bus Stop Ahead" sign, then a "No Passing Zone" sign. With little warning, there's another "School Bus Stop Ahead" sign followed by the hidden turn-off to Packard on the left. If you see Beechwood Rd or Stage Rd on the left, you've gone too far. If you backtrack to West Cummington, you've backtracked too far.
Proceed on Packard/Prospect Street for one mile. When the road flattens and straightens out, Earthdance is on the left, after #262.

Earthdance Address
252 Prospect Street
Plainfield, MA 01070

Local (non-Wedding) Activities

2007-05-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

Berkshire Activities

There are many things to see and do in the Berkshires, from local historic towns such as Lenox, to scenic hiking trails, to contemporary art at the MassMoca in North Adams.

Mass MoCA (Massacusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts) - North Adams, MA, OPEN 11–5, CLOSED TUESDAYS
Tanglewood (Summer home of the Boston Symphony, year-round concerts) - Lenox, MA, concerts Oct 5, 6, 8 (all are All-Ravel Concerts)
Jacob's Pillow (Extraordinary Dance) - Becket, MA - Season ends in late August

Northampton - A funky, small New England college town, named "The Best Small Arts Town" in the U.S. Lots of cultural events and outdoor activities. Great restaurants, more than 50 in a three-block radius! (thanks to gonomad for all this info). Also check out the NoHo website for local local info.

BEST ATTRACTIONS

The arts! Tons of galleries, museums, small theatres and public arts spaces. Browse all day and see performances by top theatre, music, literary and dance artists in the evenings!
Shopping: many local small businesses selling eclectic unique things.
Smith College Campus: beautiful campus to stroll around on -- especially the path around the pond and the campus greenhouses.
Check out the Paradise City Arts Festival in October.
Sitting in a main street cafe (there is a Starbucks and Woodstar coffee on Gothic St.) and watching the parade go by. There will be kids on the street, pierced and shaven, with skateboards and attitude, but it is always friendly. The farmers market sets up every Saturday downtown.

BEST UNUSUAL ATTRACTIONS

The old state mental hospital grounds. Wild, overgrown boarded up buildings. "Cider House Rules" was filmed here. Some find it beautiful to walk around; others find it creepy. There is a circular loop that goes through farm fields and woods and is a perfect place to walk your dog.

BEST ACTIVITIES/ GUIDES

There are lots of outdoor activities from hiking to rafting, as Northampton is located in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains and near the Connecticut river. Local outfitters can arrange everything from kayaking to ballooning. Contact Wildwater Outfitters in Hadley, 413-253-5500.

For some free activities, try:

Hiking Smith College campus.
Riding bike/rollerblading along the Northampton/Belchertown bike path, an eleven mile path that can be bumpy due to roots coming through the asphalt, but is still a pretty, if bumpy, ride.
Hanging at coffee shops like Starbucks, Woodstar, Northampton Coffee, Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters all in the downtown area.

BEST ALTERNATIVES

In addition to the nightly lectures and performances held on Smith’s campus and around town, there are also lots of local options for informal learning from yoga to arts and crafts. Look at the bulletin boards around town and pick up a local paper.
Iron Horse Music Hall, a small, cafe/performance space with legendary big name performers.
Flywheel: in nearby Easthampton -- funky performance space featuring lots of local and regional bands. Volunteer run.

BEST EATS (We haven't tried these - just took it from GoNomad.com)
There are lots of inexpensive eateries featuring all kinds of food from around the world. This is a college town, so remember that coffee shops and cafes are also plentiful!

Bela-- Total vegetarian, small, funky-- Cheaper
Pizza Paradiso--wood fired pizza, pasta, great atmo, moderate
Amanouz Cafe--Moroccan cuisine, cheap and filling
Green St. Café, India House Teapot -- more expensive

BEST ENTERTAINMENT
If you can’t catch a performance or lecture at Smith College Campus, try the following:

Iron Horse: famous concert venue. Small and intimate. Many national folk, jazz and alternative bands/musicians. Check schedule in the weekly Valley Advocate, or online at iheg.com
Pleasant St Theatre: small comfortable movie theatre showing art/foreign films.
Academy of Music: Larger, but not mainstream, movie theatre. Also occasional opera house.
Calvin Theater. Part of the Iron Horse Group, national acts in music, theater, dance and spoken word.

BEST LOCAL HAUNTS

Joe's Pizza
Haymarket Cafe. Northampton Brewery's rooftop garden
Bart's Ice Cream Shop.
The Elevens , for local music.

BEST SHOPPING
There are plenty of unique shops in town featuring the works of local artisans, but Northampton is a book-lover’s paradise.

Thorne's Market -- lots of small businesses in a non-mall mall.
Raven - used books.
Beyond Words -- new age type books.
Faces -- funky items, furniture and clothing.
Market St.-- side street with many used clothing stores, book stores and antique stores.
King St. Flea Market, Sunday mornings.

Pittsfield
Not to be left out, check out the town sponsored tourism site.

Important Posts

2007-03-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

Here is THE important info for the weekend. If you want to bookmark this post, the URL is: http://rosswig.blogspot.com/2007/02/important-posts.html

Maps of Earthdance (aka - how to get to the party)
Places to Stay
Carpooling?
What to Bring
What Not to Bring
What to do in the Area (besides see us get hitched)
Gift Registry Info
How to Get Close to the Party (for those flying. . .)
how it all began - arts version/entertainment version of "the proposal"
important dates: 01/22/05, 11/17/06, 10/07/07
Weekend Schedule - still working on this one. . .

Places to Stay

2007-03-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

Where can you stay? Well, there are many choices. . .

here is a list of places to stay in the area: (feel free to find your own accomodations). For a map of all these places, click here. I'll try and make the places RED as people get them booked.

EarthDance - FRIEND OPTION #1!!! (where we'll do the wedding) has dormitory style housing with communal bathrooms. There are some spaces also on tent platforms. Food is provided at a nominal additional cost, which is great cause there aren't really restaurants close by earthdance. Email us at rosswig at gmail dot com to reserve your room. If you want to stay with friends, check the room configuration (Basement, First Floor, Second Floor) and ask for either specific rooms or to be placed with specific peoples when you write. Otherwise, we'll deal with who stays with who. ;) IMPORTANT - do NOT call EarthDance, they do NOT take reservations. This all must be done through us. thanks.

EarthDance Costs are as follows:
Bed in a Shared Room = $60/night/person
Bed on a Tent Platform (with full building access for showers, toilets, etc) = $40/night/person (the tent platforms have cots)
Your Own Tent (with full building access for showers, toilets, etc) = $30/night/person
Food for lodgers/tenters served at Earthdance = Saturday Breakfast, Lunch (for Dinner we will host a BBQ), Sunday Breakfast, Lunch. Food is included in your lodging costs, as is access to showers, 24 hour tea and snacks, sauna, and of course, the lovely dance studios and spaces.

The Hill Gallery, Walter Korzec
137 East Windsor Rd.
Worthington, Ma. 01098
413 238-5914
For 2 couples; rooms blocked, guests must book by June, Private bath, breakfast, 6th and 7th blocked, $100.00 per night

East Windsor Guest House, Sue and Dick Jacobs
565 Worthington Rd.
Windsor, Ma. 01270
413 684-3191
3 guest rooms all upstairs; no blocking of rooms, 3 rooms share 2 baths; 1 upstairs and 1 down, 2 twin beds, 1 double, 1 queen, There’s a cat in the house! Breakfast is included; menu adjusted to needs, $75.00 a night for double occupancy, 15 minutes from Earthdance

Swiss Chalet, Vicky Russin-Nash
P.O. Box 8
Cummington, Ma. 01026
413 634-2267
6 miles from Earthdance, Blocked for 2 couples and rooms held up to beginning of Sept. Shared bath, breakfast, adjusts menu to needs

Penrose Victorian Inn, Nancy and Dick Zimmer
133 Main Street Rte 9
Haydenville, Ma. 01039
413 268-3014
4 rooms, private baths; 1 bath across hall, $115.00, $125.00, $135.00; with breakfast. No children under 14. Saturday and Sunday—2 night minimum, Held until 6th of September

Flower Hill Farm, Carol and Sean Duke
B & B and Retreat
Williamsburg, Ma. 01096
413 268-7481
No blocking of rooms. Queen and single for 3 rooms (They are suites).

Worthington Inn, Debi & Joe Shaw
Old North Rd. Rte 143
Worthington, Ma. 01098
413 238-4441
3 rooms with private baths, $90.00 per night

1886 House, Joe and Carol Lingg
202 East Street
Chesterfield, Ma. 01012
413 296-02232
2 rooms with private baths, 15 miles from Earthdance (20 minutes), Breakfast and adjusts menu to dietary needs, $100.00 (1st floor) and $130.00 (2nd floor)

Brennan’s Inn, Julie, Maureen
Cummington
413 634-5493
5 minutes from Earthdance, 3 rooms; 1 queen, 1 twins, 1 double w/ shared bath upstairs, 3 more baths downstairs, $80.00 per night with breakfast, Game room downstairs

Northampton Hotel - 413 587-8105 - right in the center of town (Northampton), close to restaurants, shopping and more. Ask for rooms blocked off for the Ross/Ludwig wedding.
25 rooms blocked for Sunday until Sept. 6th
10 rooms blocked for Saturday until Sept. 6th
$210.00 per night
** Bus will run from this location on day of wedding **

Clarion Inn in Northampton (pages here and here) - 1800 582-2929 - a bit outside of town (Northampton), but very nice. Pool for swimming. Ask for rooms blocked off for the Ross/Ludwig wedding. Blocked until Sept. 6th
At exit 18, out of center of town, They are 50% booked now.
From $145.00, address: One Atwood Dr. Northampton, Ma. 01060
** Bus will run from this location on day of wedding **

Pittsfield is also fairly close to Earthdance, but the town is not as much fun as Northampton. There are a few motels in town should you choose to stay there.
For more info on each town, check out these links: Accommodations in Pittsfield, Accommodations in Northampton, also here for more Northampton places to stay, Accommodations in Amherst.

What not to bring

2007-03-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

while we're trying to have a very positive weekend, and avoid the word "no" as much as possible, there are some things that you'd probably enjoy more at home than at earthdance. so, if it is not too much, please leave these things at home:

pets (there are some allergic folks who wouldn't be so happy)
high heels (we're in the country out here, and if it is at all wet, you won't be able to maneuver)
cell phones (they won't work at earthdance anyway)

What to Bring

2007-03-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

Please bring some (or all) of the following to the party:

yourself
musical instruments (djembes, djun djuns, guitars, kazoos, percussion toys, congas, trombones, saxamaphones, trumpets, banjos, mandolins, bass guitars, sousaphones, etc)
comfortable clothes
sheets (if you are staying on earthdance property)
sleeping bag (if you are staying on a tent platform, or if you get cold easily)
comfortable shoes (hiking, long walks in the woods or the local streets are an option)
yoga mat (if you choose to do some yoga while you are there)
dance clothes (there are 2 beautiful dance studios on the property that are ours to use for the weekend)
flashlight
slippers (for inside since shoes are a no-no inside the buildings)
swimsuit (there is a sauna and a quarry for our use, although clothing is optional . . .)
frisbee, soccer ball, football, etc
readings, blessings, sharings for the couple
beautiful, loving, positive energy

Carpooling!

2007-03-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

If you want to carpool, this is the place for you. Whether you're a crunchy hippy, don't have a car, just want to meet cool new friends, or are coming in from out of town, we encourage you to carpool. Please use this even if you are only going from Northampton to Earthdance! And please offer a ride to those "stuck" in Northampton! Thanks!

Here's the scoop:
* To OFFER a ride - please post a comment to the blog with your departure date and location (ie - leaving Somerville on Friday, Oct 5 at noon) as well as the space you have available (ie - we have room for 2 adults and 3 cases of wine) either for people or wedding goods (we're doing a lot on our own, and would love assistance transporting materiel). please include an email or phone number so ride needers can accept.

* To LOOK for a ride - please post a comment with your hoped for departure date location, and any other fun info. please include an email or phone number so people can get in touch.

In either case, you can of course just respond to another persons comment . . .

Earthdance Map

2007-03-26T20:37:00.000-05:00

Directions are on the Earthdance site or you can click on the map to the left and then put in your start point. . .

Earthdance is located at:
252 Prospect St.
Plainfield, MA 01070

Flying Information

2007-03-26T20:25:00.000-05:00

You can fly to several airports nearby and several not so nearby. Getting from the airports to Earthdance can be done by shuttle or carpool. Don't forget to do a little carbon offsetting (Terrapass is one fine place to do this).

We LOVE www.kayak.com for finding cheap flights.

Closest Airport: Hartford/Springfield, CT: Bradley International Airport
Other airports nearby are Boston (Logan International) and Albany, NY, and even further afield are the NYC area airports (JFK, La-Guardia, Newark, Stewart).

To Get To Northampton, MA from Bradley International:

Valley Transporter; (413) 253-1350; Cost: $45 from Bradley to anywhere in Northampton; Schedule: call to arrange (a good option). Bradways Limo Service; (800) 325-1976; Cost: $65-70 to Northampton; Call to arrange times. For more options, click here.

To get to Earthdance from Northampton, MA:

check out the carpool options, or get in touch with Alli/Erich so we can help coordinate a ride to Earthdance. Getting a ride back to Northampton can be coordinated while at Earthdance.

We have a date!

2007-02-18T18:42:00.000-05:00

Okay folks! Here we go! We have fabulous date for arts and entertainment to unite in marriage!
It is October 7, 2007
We look forward to celebrating our lovage with everyone! A Save the date to follow....

it's official . . .

2007-02-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

we've been announced to the community as an engaged couple. thanks to c&b we had a awesome party with family and a few friends last night at sugarbar in nyc. yeah! family from as far away as cali made it to the party, and it was a wonderful wonderful feeling to be surrounded by so much love and so many amazing people. look for some photos here shortly.
a big thank you to all our family and friends for supporting us thus far in our relationship and journey!

exhausting

2007-01-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

this whole wedding business is exhausting!
we've got the engagement party all set. got the invites out. and i (we) are very excited and thankful to have a chance to bring together our families for this little party.
we're also facing the challenge of wanting to do the wedding in 2007, but know that we want to do it outside, and know that we want to bring people together to help us celebrate us for more than just one day. and we have lots of friends, and lots of family, and lots of family friends. and not many places can do all that before the weather turns iffy in the fall.
so think good thoughts, think happy thoughts, and think open calendar thoughts. and if you know of any places that fit those somewhat vague criteria, please drop us a line . . .
p.s. - thanks to papaD for the engagement photo session. if you want to see what we did, drop a line and we'll send you the link . . .

Gift Registration

2007-01-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

We both feel blessed that we have everything we truly need and more, and more material possessions are far down on our list of needs. We also consider your presence in our life a HUGE gift and are grateful for your visits, calls, emails, and positive energy.

However, we have started a few registries for your viewing and for our entertainment!

We would be overjoyed if people choose to donate to a NGO/good cause/charity with us in mind, and we've also set something up with justgive.com that will allow you to donate to one of our favorite charities in lieu of a gift to us.

The gift registries in our name exist at:

justgive.com - some of the causes that we would love to have you donate to in our honor (go to that link and search for our last names)
thehoneymoon.com- (you can help us have a fun time in Spain and Portugal!) - follow the link or just go to thehoneymoon.com and search for our last names
Crate and Barrel - bare necessities
Gaiam - some nice organic cotton sheets and such (go to the link and search by our names)
Macy's- oh, how domestic we are becoming!
REI - some fun outdoorsy stuff
William Sonoma - the high-end life long stuff (knives, pots, pans, etc)
FireOpal - some very unique glassware, pottery etc from local artisans
other stuff we might like, but are not at these stores

frames for photos/art - sizes: get in touch

Thank you for your generosity!!

party places

2006-12-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

so any ideas for other party places in nyc? cause this galapagos place is nice. nice and expensive. so we're looking for a more mello smaller place.
and yes, we did find some stuff at gaiam that is more or less reasonable. nice nice stuff.
anyone still readin this? or am i blogging to the thin air?

registration

2006-12-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

so i certainly wasn't aware of many things around this whole marriage business (and i do mean business), but one of the many ramifications that took me by surprise of me asking arts to marry me was this whole registration thing.
so apparently, not only do people like to give wedding presents, but they also like to give engagement presents! which means that if we want to receive things we actually want, we have to register now. not later. which means right now we're trying to get that done at a few places so that we and our friends/family can be happy.
yesterday we went over to crate & barrel, the old wedding standby. we had heard stories of champagne, scanner fun, and general merriment. of course, it was not that. the scanner only took some inputs, and the folks there were nice (especially the woman who also does work with the AMC), but it was highly underwhelming. even the much hyped booklet was not known to the workers at c&b or available there.
we've also put our name into the system at justgive.org, rei, gaiam. haven't added anything to rei or gaiam yet, and gaiam yet, but stay tuned. anyway, all too much consumption in my book, but we've agreed to give 10% of all cash gifts to charity, and since justgive let's us give to good places, i'll be happy to spread the wealth that way.

party part2

2006-12-11T12:36:00.001-05:00

so our friends over at galapagos haven't got back to us yet. so if you have other suggestions for other party places in nyc, please let us know.

party!

2006-12-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

the parents of art have graciously and generously offered to host an engagement party for us! we're thinking feb, nyc, galapagos . . .
we'll see if it all works out, or if we have to go somewhere else. but it should be a fun party. maybe even an after party if we all still have energy . . .

comments from friends . . .

2006-11-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

Wow! Awesome! Who knew you had all this passion and romanticism roaring around inside you. I'm glad A is able to let it free! Congratulations to the both of you. I've never read a blog before and I have no real idea how it works but I'm glad that yours is the first one I've ever encountered. Thanks for sharing the news!

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Je suis tres content d'avoir de vos nouvelles. J'ai fait beaucoup de tentatives avant d'avoir de vos nouvelles. Je souhaite vraiment le meilleur dans car you deserve that. Vous êtes des personnes biens cela me fait plaisir d'être parmis vos amis.

---------------------------------------------------

You're such a copy cat. I can't believe you took mine and s's idea of a blog and totally copied.. heee heee! (I'm aware that every engaged couple does that, no worries).

CONGRATS! It's awesome. From one true romantic to another, let me tell you the truth: it just gets better. :)

---------------------------------------------------

Soungalo - Congrats dude! I must admit that I was hoping you'd get married in
South Africa in 2010 right before the world cup...that would've been a nice
trip.

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E & A !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yay!
I have to say that the very first time I saw you guys
giving each other puppy-dog eyes in the middle east
I commented to W that you were perfect for each other.
When you moved in with each other i commented to SK.
(i think - or maybe it was junjun)
that I hoped you would get married - i figured you were headed that way anyway.
ha! I love being able to say
"i told you so!"

best friends ever

2006-11-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

it has been so fun to read all the responses from our friends to the emails that we sent out announcing our engagement. so much fun that i'm going to repost them here. i'll take out your names of course, but this whole thing is just so much fun to share!

comments

2006-11-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

hi all -
thanks so much for all your calls and emails. it has been wonderful to hear all your thoughts, support, stories, and love.
thanks to j & b for dinner last night. awesome stuff! great to have gourmet cooks as friends!

also, i heard that some of you were having trouble commenting on this blog, so i turned off the members only silliness. now you and all your friends can leave us silly and meaningful messages without having to give google or blogspot or anyone else your info.

thank you!

2006-11-19T23:49:00.000-05:00

yeah! morning after the proposal sunny day bliss!

open thread

2006-11-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

if you have any questions, feel free to post them as comments here on this post and we'll answer them in comments or in new posts!

Art's version of how it all went down!!

2006-11-19T22:21:00.000-05:00

The only thing I knew about this part of the journey was that I had a dream on Thursday night that Entertainment and I were getting married. Like many of my dreams go, it was very vivid in color and image, many scenes overlapped and in retrospect are a complete blur.

On Friday morning all I knew was that it was our love that permeated the dream. I woke up, told entertainment about it- he made some comment in fear that I knew too much......ha!

Now I don't dream about marriage very much. In fact I never have dreamt of marrying anyone really, no fantasies, no bridal magazines hanging around the home. I've never really considered myself a woman looking for the perfect guy to sweep me off my feet.....
then Entertainment shows up...
We've been dating for almost 2 years now and in the past month or so our relationship has deepened and grown rich with questions and passions for weaving our future together....

I had no idea that Nov. 17th would be the day that this question would soar through his lips with such calm, such compassion, such authenticity.... and when I heard him speak what did I do?

I LAUGHED and LAUGHED and LAUGHED. I couldn't stop laughing! The laughing continued to roar out of me- my heart beating super fast and my breath quickening...wowow what a feeling!
Then he opened a square blue box with a beautiful family heirloom snug into the fabric..what did I do?..... I LAUGHED some more!

Finally I got the chance to breath and articulate something....I had kept my love waiting a long ass time! (I heard a 3 week wait runs in his family so 3 minutes- not too bad!)
I looked back into his eyes and told him that I didn't doubt our love and commitment to each other. I really never have since we've grown together over the 2 years. Yes, I 've doubted his ability to manage his hair and to remember to bring his lunch from home, but I have felt so confident that he is a most fabulous partner for me and me for him for a long while!
I mean come on- he gets me to do the dishes, to tighten the cap on the toothpaste, to clean my car...true signs that love has taken over significant slackings that existed in my character before (don't worry he will never make me a neat freak. It is simply not in my DNA!)

Okay okay so then I said YES!!! I told him that I would love to marry him!

He told me about the ring, which is absolutely beautious from the 1930's. It was his great aunts- thank you Aunt Lois!

We began to walk towards the theatre for an 8:00 show called Acoustic Africa with one of our favorite Malian musicians Habib Koite. On the way it dawned on me that other people must have been in on this surprise. I asked him, "do other people know?"

"Yes", Entertainment chuckled.

"Does my father know?", Arts asked wide-eyed.

"Well, last week I had dinner with your parents in New York", entertainment exclaimed with a big smile across his face!

I fell to the ground squatting in place- trying to believe the evenings happenings!!

So all who know me the next part is pretty crazy....
We went to the show and I had to SIT for 2 hours of this concert not much leg room!!
My attention was split between looking at my ring finger now adorned with such an amazing symbol of love, making eye contact with my FIANCEE, and hearing the most beautiful music.
I truly heard the music differently this evening. I could hear each instrument and each voice vibrate through my ribcage and spine. What bliss this is!?!!

After the show I proposed to Entertainment knowing I wanted to return the amazing question he asked me just a few hours ago...........

It is so exciting to share all of this with you..may our new journey of commitment to each other be lit and loved by all of you!!!

PEACE

the proposal - from his (entertainment) perspective

2006-11-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

so, here's my version of the story. i think that arts is going to post her version as well, so we'll see if we're on the same page ;)

on friday, november 17th, i convinced arts that she had to ditch 2 sets of her friend's getting together. eek. tough to get her to come out on our date early enough for me to have time for all my plans. fortunately, one group of friends cancelled their get-together, and arts was able to beg out of the other without knowing how important it was to do so.

the plan (that she knew) was just to have a really nice date, and replicate parts of our first big date. that meant dinner at our fave mexican place in boston - tu y yo (which means "you and i" in spanish - which even i know) followed by a concert featuring habib koite. on our first date almost 2 years ago, we saw habib with his band bamada. this year, habib was part of a tour called acoustic africa with south african vusi mahlasela and ivoirienne dobet gnahore).

but this year, there was a wrinkle. in between the two parts of the evening, there would be a certain proposal.

the plan in action
the evening started out perfect. arts came by my office and i was ready to go. all dressed up for the show, looking good, ring in a deep pocket of the boubou. and arts had a great day, so she was in a great mood. nice.
we walked down to the restaurant, and got seated at the same table as on our first date. great!

got our food order in, a nice little half carafe of white sangria, and had a lovely dinner. soup appetizer, main courses, and some oaxacan hot chocolate for dessert. yummy. we had arrived just in time as the spot filled up with folks and there was a line out the door. i used that as a pretext for hurrying us out of the restaurant so we could "walk around" a bit before the show.

once outside, we headed across the street to a little park that i'd never explored before. we walked around a bit, up a little rise, past a marker (for a pickle !? factory) and then to an overlook beneath some gorgeous tall trees. arts asked if i wanted to keep walking, and i said, no. um . ..
and let it flow. and hoped that i'd say all the right stuff about our love, our partnership and my hopes for this to continue forever.

and

she

started

laughing.

really.

i kept talking, and she held it in, and then she laughed some more.

and then i showed her the ring in the box.

and then she REALLY laughed! (she says it was just laughs of pure joy). to me, it seemed quite joyous cause her eyes were telling me what i wanted to hear, but nonetheless, it was a bit offputting. but also good, because it meant that i didn't have to be 100% super serious either. i could laugh and not completely be nervous.

anyway, she came out of it long enough to say yes, and give me a big hug and kiss. YES!! she got the ring on (a bit big), and she loved it! it's not a typical engagement ring with a huge rock, but that's perfect by me, and i'd hoped it would be good for her. and thankfully, she loves it.

we talked for a bit, and then headed down towards the theater.

arts then asked, "does anyone else know? does my father know?" and i told her, that yes, both her father and mother knew. that i'd gone down to have dinner with them about 2 weeks ago. it was then that arts almost fell into a squat, laughing so hard and crying as well. when she got up, she said - i'm going to faint!
which she didn't do, and we did manage to fly over to the theater in time to get our seats just as the lights got flicked to signal 5 minutes.

amazing show, great artists, wonderful concept, great to see all the groups mixing and matching personnel. we could hardly sit still in our cramped seats in the balcony. exchanging looks and kisses all show. holding hands and squeezing about every 10 milliseconds. that concert was probably one of the most amazing shows i've ever seen. ;)

by the encores, we'd made our way down to the floor and were dancing with some (recently married) friends. the show ended, and a couple friends of mine were coming up the aisle towards us. they greeted me, and one of them (who didn't know arts) asked, "e - is this your wife?" arts jumped in and said "no, but he just proposed!" and thrust her left hand towards them. the two ladies and our other friend all jumped back in unison and screamed. lol.

a bit later, we spotted another friend, who had brought habib to providence last year for a wonderful benefit show for AIDS work in mali (GAIA). when i told her what was going on that night, she turned to face the back of the house and shouted out "these guys are getting married! he proposed to her tonight!" and we got a nice round of applause. we had some fun re-connecting with habib and the guys in his band (see pictures) and meeting vusi and dobet. i, of course, got words of wisdom from all the guys once they found out (and figured out) that we were just engaged. i had trouble explaining to them about engagement, but they got it eventually.
then our friends S and L and arts and I went over to johnny d's for a celebratory drink. a fun band was playing there, and we got to hear a couple songs before the set ended. then S and L left, and then arts turned to me and presented me with my grandfather's wedding ring (which she'd highjacked earlier in the eve) and asked me to marry her. nice. turnabout is fair play. and equality is a great thing. although she knew what my answer was. ;)

yeah! so a wonderful wonderful evening. and we're still flying, and not looking for a landing spot yet . . .

when are you getting married?

2006-11-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

who knows!! we're having too much fun being engaged. we'll figure out all those little details later. just let us bask in this . . .
thank you! much love from both of us.

2006-11-19T01:08:00.000-05:00

no words needed. just big ups to the folks at the coffee house. PERFECT soundtrack for this morning. thank you. p.s. - in the original video, arts is actually "on" with michael. so, she does have rhythm, thank you very much youtube!

2006-11-19T01:06:00.000-05:00

looking back, i still think i did the right thing. wait. i know i did. :D

2006-11-19T01:05:00.000-05:00

how do you spell "giddy"???

2006-11-19T01:04:00.000-05:00

the bling bling. family style.

2006-11-19T01:02:00.001-05:00

more concert pix - our friend madou! thanks for the words of wisdom, madou, and can't wait to see you in mali.

2006-11-19T01:02:00.000-05:00

the morning after. i'm just hoping she's not thinking "what did i do?!?!"

2006-11-19T01:01:00.000-05:00

the happily newly committed couple with the legend of the balafon - Kélétigui Diabaté.
such a mensch he is!! and gets better every concert we see him at.

2006-11-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

wow! vusi! the voice! the voice indeed. this man, as art said after we met him, was so present. so in where he was. wow. if you get a chance to see him, you must go. you'll recognize his voice instantly.

after the show . . .

2006-11-19T00:57:00.000-05:00

arts looking pensive after taking in a whole lot of evening. note the signed photo from legend vusi (with legend nelson) in her lap.

11/17/06

2006-11-19T00:49:00.000-05:00

Entertainment proposed that the Arts join in with the love for each and every epiosode to come!!!

11/17/06

2006-11-19T00:46:00.001-05:00

the date that arts agreed to join entertainment forEVAH!!