Can I Change the Wedding Cake?

This is the coolest cake...ever!

The crew from the show 'Ace of Cakes' on Food Network made this cake resembling Hogwarts Castle for the staff over at Pottercast and The Leaky Cauldron.

Helpful Tips for Brett About Me #2

Here is another helpful tip for Brett as he enters into marriage...

Tip #2 - I like food.

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to know that I like food. Wait, let's correct that. I love food.

I could never be an anorexic. I like to eat. I like to cook. Brett will never have to worry about me being that 'skinny girl,' ...ever.

All I ask is that you feed it when its hungry. I'm like a little kid. If you don't feed me, I get cranky. I'm not picky. A few Goldfish crackers, maybe a fruit roll-up, even some Cheerios. Just keep something in your pocket and reward me when I do something good.

Wait, it's worse. I'm like a puppy...

HELP!!! I can be the ultimate Disney cast member!!!

There's currently a promotion being run by CareerBuilder.com and Disney to be the Chief Magic Officer at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland California for the next year.

What does this mean?

The winner would get the chance to grant wishes during the "Year of a Million Dreams" contest on selected weekends throughout the next year. The job entails a salary, airfare and limo transfer to and from the airport, lodging at a Disney resort, plus several trips for my family and friends during the year.

How cool is that???

So, what do I have to do?

First, I need to submit a sixty second video telling why I would be the best person for the job...

...duh...

We all know I'm the hugest Disney nerd....ever!!

So, once you get past that point -- the public votes on the top 20 videos that are submitted. The ones that get the most votes (that's where you and all your friends and family come in to help me get this awesomest job ever!!!) during an online voting period.

Then, they select the final 20 and they give you the means to create another video to garner more votes from the public.

Finally, they select the top Magic Officer!

So, you guys in to help me get my dream Disney job!?!?

Click here for more information

30 Things About Me: Tips for Brett

Since we're so close to the wedding, I thought I'd take this time to blog about myself as a way for Brett to understand what he's getting into when he utters those two words: "I do".

I call this little segment "30 Things About Me...Tips for Brett". This is a way for me to share those things that he may (or maybe not) know about me. A kind little gesture so he won't be frightened by my little intricacies. I'll try and be good and do one a day (I built in a little room for error since we're 36 days away from the big day).

Today...

Tip #1 I love stuffed animals.

I have always loved stuffed animals. I think it has to do with not being in the womb long enough, or perhaps its because I was essentially an only child growing up since there was such a huge age difference between me and my siblings. Whatever the reason, I have to sleep with something fluffy and cuddly at night.

Before my dad sold our house a few years ago, I had to go through all of my little friends and decide which ones I had room enough to keep and which ones had to go to Goodwill and be passed along for another child to love. Miraculously, I was able to keep two entire garbage bags full of stuffed animals. But sadly, the fate of six other bags is still unknown. I hope that they have made amends with little Suzy or Bobby, the drooling problems of a large German Shepherd, or the dirty habits of families that don't clean the house enough.

I have managed to stay close with Gorilla (he's been with me since day one), Mojo (Ann gave him to me my freshmen year of college when I was in the hospital), Edgar (a fluffy dog wearing a train costume that I got for a birthday), Puggle (a little pug/beagle mix that Brett bought me for our first V-Day), and Lumpy (the best X-Mas present ever!), just to name a few.

I'm sure I could go to bed at night and sleep soundly without Lumpy or Gorilla, but a piece of me doesn't want to. I know I will have Brett next to me at night (and he's quite furry enough), but it's just not the same. Sometimes the quiet, silent stares, the unjudgemental touch, and the unconditional love that my stuffed animals provide me is more than anyone else can. They've heard secrets that no one else knows. They've been with me as I cried myself to sleep at night.

Many people would say that I have attachment issues, but I don't look at it that way. I feel that my childhood memories are something that should be cherished. For as long as I have my stuffed animals, I remember things from when I was a little girl. I want to be able to give Gorilla and Lumpy to my own children one day and I hope they live on and on for generations.

You've Been Deleted

As per my Facebook status message recalled yesterday, I have a new cell phone. The LG just couldn't take the strain of me not answering calls anymore, so I had to upgrade to a Motorola RAZR.

Because I'm cheap, I wasn't going to pay the $10 that Verizon charges to transfer my hundreds upon hundreds of contacts, messages, ringtones, and videos to my new SIM card. (Might I Add: That is whack!)

So, I spent about an hour this morning keying in all the contact information for everyone who is important in my life.

It's so weird. You really take for granted the amount of people you add to your contact list. Like for instance, why do I have Jason Lee (star of "Alvin and the Chipmunks") as a contact? Or, why do still have that kid from junior year of college that I interviewed for UWM's hottest guys in there? No need for that. A majority of the people that are in my phone, I probably haven't spoken to in over a year (if not more).

As I started hitting delete and as the screen posted 'do you really want to erase this contact?' I felt as if I were losing a part of my life as I randomly just deleted a part of my life. I know they're just phone numbers, but there was a time when I probably dialed them a few times a week or even a few times a day.

I wonder what happened to some of those relationships. Was it something I did? Was it something someone else did? Were we never really that close at all? I guess I'll never really know why some people come in and out of our lives (or our cell phones).

Christina's Top List of 2007

Christina's Top List of 2007
I wanted to take this opportunity to say goodbye to 2007 (yea, it's been gone for two days now, and I realize I'm a little late).

So, here is a list of some of my favorites (and not-so-favorites) of last year...

Best Movie: Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouille" made rodents cute and cuddly and good chefs. Patton Oswalt from TV's "The King of Queens" stars as Remy, a budding rat-turned-chef, who helps a not-so-competent dish boy turn into the next Jacques Pepin. The graphics are incredible (don't blink as you take a ride down the Rhine or past the Eiffel Tower) and the human figures are only getting better.

Worst Movie I Paid For: "License to Wed" starring Robin Williams and Mandy Moore was hit or miss. Wait to get it on DVD. The jokes could come or go depending on your humor. The only redeeming factor was a hilarious look at plastic babies pooping in a department store.

Best DVD Rental: "Driving Lessons" starring Rupert Grint and Laura Linney was an under-appreciated coming-of-age film about a teenage boy who has a born-again Christian mother who lives with her divorced husband and a mute. Grint's character must look after an unemployed actress who teaches him the important things about life and love. It wasn't released in the Milwaukee area and it isn't in a lot of rental locales, but it's highly worth while and touching if you can find it.

Best Song: I found myself jamming out to Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" a little loudly in my car. But what can I say, the girl can sing. I don't know what Tony Romo was thinking, but he needs to get his head examined.

Song I Couldn't Get Out of My Head: Any song where Fergie starts spelling was engrained in my brain this year. Add it to the list of 'bananas', I'll never forget how to spell 'Fergalicious'.

Best New Restaurant I Tried: KA in Franklin gets my nod as the best new restaurant in the area. It's extensive martini list and great small plate items are great for after work or on the weekend with the girls. Be sure to try the apple/cranberry/walnut brie -- absolutely amazing!

Best Book I Read: It might have come out a few years ago, but Nicholas Sparks' "The Notebook" was even better than the movie. I was crying for nearly two hours. I don't know if two hours of crying means a better story, but his character development and ability to make characters you care about is both touching and endearing and tugs at your own personal heart strings.

Best Moment: Um, like...getting engaged. So, I'm getting hitched in less than 50 days, but it wouldn't be unless I said yes on May 12, 2007. How can I forget that no one took any pictures and the waiter at the Cheesecake Factory who was like, "Dawg, did you just ask her to marry you? ...Right on..." I can't make this stuff up.

Worst Pop Culture Moment: Britney Spears. She's a train wreck. 'Nuff said.

Movie Review: Sweeney Todd

I have to admit I'm not one for musicals. But with the recent renaissance of films like "Chicago," "Moulin Rouge," "Hairspray," and "Phantom of the Opera," the musical film has made a gigantic comeback to the big screen.

The new Tim Burton film "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is based upon the Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical. But its history goes well beyond the Great White Way.

The first telling of the murderous barber goes back to 19th Century London. Thomas Prest, a popular writer of the era would pluck true stories from The Times and then have them printed in pennies (magazines sold for a penny). Sweeney Todd could arguably be found in one such publication called "The People's Periodical" in November 1846.

Since then, this macabre tale filled with lore has been made into films and then Sondheim's musical starring Angela Lansbury ("Murder, She Wrote") and Len Cariou which came to the stage in 1979. In 1998, Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley starred in a version that aired on the BBC.

As the story goes, Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is falsely accused of a crime and sent away for over a decade. During his departure the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) pines for his beautiful wife and young daughter, Johanna.

Returning to London a completely different man, we are introduced to Sweeney Todd, a man with revenge in his heart. With the help of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), the maker of some of London’s worst meat pies, they devise a bloody good plan to get even with every man who took Barker’s idyllic life away.

The dark, almost monochromatic canvas that Burton uses comes to life with vivid caricatures portrayed by Depp, Bonham Carter, Rickman, Timothy Spall (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”), Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat”) and newcomers to the big screen Jayne Wisener (Johanna), Ed Sanders (Toby), and Jamie Campbell Bower (Anthony).

Depp is at the top of his game after another jaunt as Capt. Jack Sparrow in this year’s earlier hit “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”. Probably one of the best actors of his generation, Depp has only added another successful notch into his acting resume with this exuberant, dark, and melancholy performance that demonstrates his singing ability. Bonham Carter, who is also director Burton’s girlfriend, had the most difficult musical part to play with fast passages and a high soprano key. While none of the key actors have a musical background, it would be hard to tell. Arguably they could jump from Hollywood to Broadway without a second glance.

Rickman’s portrayal of evil continues in this role as Judge Turpin. Looking wearied and in much need of a shave, Turpin imprisons Barker’s daughter with the help of Spall’s character “Beadle Bamford”. Probably the most out of his comfort zone, Rickman seemed strained while singing, of course that could have been the Spandex pants holding him in.

It’s hard to find a bad Tim Burton film going through his resume except for maybe “Planet of the Apes,” which coincidentally is where he met Bonham Carter. “Sweeney Todd” has only put him in the higher echelon of directors with a niche for creative and great film-making. Not for the squeamish or faint-of-heart, “Sweeney Todd” turns the musical genre on its head. And really, “Sweeney Todd” is just a horror flick, but it’s a successful, unconventional slasher flick with a great score and cast that is still amazing audiences nearly two centuries from its dark origins.

10 Weeks Until the Wedding!

I'm somewhat scared that only 10 weeks are left until the wedding. I feel like nothing has gotten accomplished or that I'm doing stuff completely wrong.

Case in point: I forgot to put on the postage on the return envelopes for the response cards. Thanks Brett for remembering the next day as I'm brushing my teeth. Very helpful.

Today, I'm picking up my dress. I'm very, very scared that it's going to look hideous, well...that I'm going to look hideous. I don't even have shoes picked out yet. I don't know how I'm going to do my hair and make-up. My flowers are kinda set, but I'm worried about those, too.

I just feel that things are whirling out of control very fast. We're trying to find wedding readings that are meaningful to us and our personalities. It's been very difficult finding things that are humorous, yet poignant and loving, and reflect our relationship and time as a couple. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I've scoured most Nicholas Sparks book, JRR Tolkien, movie quotes, whatever.

please hold...work calls...

We also don't have clothes for the groom (and groomsmen) ordered. I just feel like its getting very late and soon we'll hit some point-of-no-return and he'll end up wearing a taffeta tuxedo in lavender with ruffles reminiscent of the late '60s.

I'm trying to maintain my composure and not get all worked up, but I feel that all these people have a certain image of what our wedding is going to be and my image and their image doesn't match-up and they'll be utterly disappointed. It's so hard to change someone's preconceived notions of what a wedding should be and how I or Brett want things to be. It just seems that everyone wants something else for us (all while meaning well), but it's just not what we want.

I wish I knew how to tell people without being mean that I respect their opinion but this isn't their decision to make.

Is it awful that I just want this wedding to be over? I'm having nightmares at night about it. I wake up in a cold sweat over dreams like one I had the other night (I was slugging Brett in the chest with the yellow pages because he wouldn't get married at the courthouse). Then, there's the some nights where I don't sleep at all.

I've never wanted a complicated wedding with lots of people. I want it to be simple and small, which I think, in theory, is what we're doing. But, all these other small details are starting to linger over my head and make it seem like I'm just doing something wrong. Does that make any sense at all, or am I just a crazy bride?

Up Next: Packers vs. Patriots and Christina vs. Brett

Like a good Packer fan, I hope they can make a run for the Superbowl. And the way that it's going for the Patriots, it just might be possible for a SB rematch for the two teams in February.

Well, that would be a week before the wedding.

Pitting a Packers fan against a Patriot fan.

A cheesehead against a, uh, what do they call Pats fans?

A Brett Favre-follower against a Tom Brady-lover.

Good versus Evil.

While I love my future husband-to-be. We agreed within the first month of dating to never talk about sports to each other. We've pretty much staid that course throughout the three years that we have been together. But, now that the stars may align for this monumental event pitting a veteran quarterback and America's Team against the heir-apparent to a GQ cover, this could place the early weeks of our marriage in turmoil.

Yesterday, I piqued the possible scenario to Brett: "If the Packers were to win the Superbowl versus the Patriots, could your groomsmen wear Packers jerseys?"

To which I received a very adamant "NO!"

How dare you woman speak of having Patriots fans wear the Green and Gold? What is this nonsense that you speak!? This is heresy!

I even put out the stipulation: "Well, if the Patriots win, my girls will wear Patriots jerseys."

"No!"

My brother agrees that this is a creative way to bring the two families together. However, Brett wants no sports near his wedding day.

Deep down...

I think he's afraid that the Packers just could be having a miracle season...

Review: Pepe's Rockn' Taco Shack

You can't go wrong with $2 margaritas during Happy Hour in Milwaukee.

Located a few blocks south of the hussle on Farwell and North Ave., Pepe's Rockn' Taco Shack has invigorated the space that once was Sol Fire in the 2000 block of N. Farwell Ave. on Milwaukee's east side.

Brightly colored pinatas and Corona posters adorn the dining and bar areas, but you'll also find retro prints of Mexican flicks with hombres wearing sombreros and fighting monsters or riding donkeys.

The waitstaff wears t-shirts (available for $16 in men's and women's styles) emblazoned on the back with the phrase: "If it ain't Pepe's, it's crap."

Too often have I gone into a cookie-cutter Mexican restaurant to find bland food from South of the Border. But at Pepe's if you like spice, you'll be in for a real treat. Starting off the K-Suh-Dea's, $5 plain, extra if you order with meat, (or quesadillas for the Spanish-speaking inclined) is filled with monstrous slices of jalapenos peppers, diced tomatoes and onions. Then you can have it with "grilled yard" (chicken) "ground cow" (ground beef), "steak'd cow" (beef steak), or "sea monkey" (shrimp).

One of the trends recently in the area is guacamole freshly made at the table. Habanero's in Wauwatosa is one of my favorites, but it is surely overpassed by the quirkiness of Pepe's version. Instead of having one of their staff mash the avocados, cilantro, onion, garlic, lime and other ingredients, they hand over the tools to the guest to make it a great anger management test.

The dinner menu isn't as diverse as some Mexican restaurants in the area, but it makes up for that with some of it's titles of dishes like the "Chimi...Whatever", $7 for plain, extra for meat. Or, the "O.R.E.," short for One Round Enchilada, $8. The steak version ($2 extra) had potential, but it was served luke warm with only one side of green rice.

The most promising entree seemed to be the "Devil Shrimp," $16.50, topped with diced cucumbers, fiery sea-monkeys, and served with rice. But the shrimp was underdone and reeked of a fishy taste that even the spices couldn't mask.

To cool off after some spicy dishes, we chose the flan, $4, the churros, $2, and my personal favorite -- the Choco Tacos, $3.

I expected the flan to be a little less hard and have more of a caramel flavor. Instead, it was drenched in a syrup and coconut dressing that seemed almost bitter. The churros were the last of the evening, slightly dry, but still sugary and good. And alas, the Choco Tacos weren't served all nice and pretty with whipped cream and chocolate shaving like I would have imagined them for $3, but they were served in the wrapper like I could have received at a 7-11.

Pepe's Rockn' Taco Shack has already surpassed some obstacles. It was forced to change its name from the "Pink Taco," reason for that is still unknown -- my bet is the derogatory nature, other's say that the Hard Rock Cafe's Las Vegas bar with the same name played a part.

The staff seems to be trying hard with great specials every night of the week from $2 margaritas from 4 to 7 p.m. during Happy Hour, or All-You-Can-Eat tacos on Tuesdays for $10-12, or even Sunday Game Days with five Coronitas for $10 or 20 tacos and a margarita pitcher for only $25.

But, it may struggle during the cold winter months if not enough North Ave. bar revelers venture down Farwell far enough to get some late night eats on the patio which is closed for the season. Only time will tell if this Mexican hot spot can outlast in this neighborhood.