Elizabeth or Eli (the Mexican version of Ellie) as we usually call her (or The Hoochie as she is sometimes known), is one of my best friends. She and I met in the summer of 2006. We were one of the 99's. The 99's was a group of nursing students that took a course (NUR199) over the summer before starting the second year of nursing school. For many of us, it was because we hadn't quite made it through and were rejoining nursing school.
We became good friends. She was a bit quiet and shy at first. But once she warmed up she was hilarious. She's still like that. We tease each other all the time. Usually she gets me pretty good. Well, we were study buddies. Often we'd be at the Starbucks at the Streets of Woodfield studying/watching people. Or we'd hang out at my house and my dad would try to help us study. And then there were the naps. Oh the nice cozy naps. Anyway, we were together a lot. We cried together; we celebrated together. She was #1 and I was #2, a story she can tell you if she really wants. It's a different kind of bond people have when they're in nursing school. You do things together that just aren't really normal. For example, wiping butts, wound care, bed baths, etc. She was a regular at my house. I'm pretty sure that Dad thought of her as his other daughter. He could always make her laugh. When I called to tell her the awful news of his death she was at a party. I felt terrible for ruining her party. I could hear the laughter and fun in the background. She came to the hospital anyway. She was there, holding our hands and remembering his life with us.
So when Kevin asked me to marry him (exactly one year ago today), I of course had to call her and tell her the news. When I got back from our vacation to Memphis, I made a date to hang out with her. We stopped at the Starbucks near her house and we got coffee. She was so excited about the recent engagement. And I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I asked her to be a bridesmaid. She accepted after a moment of shock.
I can think of no better person to have with me when I marry Kevin. She's been through so much with me. She was the girl I ran to after my dates with Kevin to talk about what happened. She was with me the night I finally decided to stop dodging Kevin and invited him out to my brother's birthday party. Let's suffice it to say she was a very good and caring friend that night. I still remember her telling me she thought he was weird. And she's right, he is. But I like it. Over time, they got to know each other better. Now I can say with confidence that they are friends as well.
About a week ago, Eli called me to break some news. There's a family emergency in Mexico. There are some matters that need to be handled and she will be unable to be in the wedding. She is very upset by this. She's tried everything within her power to change the time around when she needs to be in Mexico but there's nothing she can do. Kevin and I are not angry or upset with her. We firmly believe that family comes first. Though we would love for her to be in the wedding, we understand these matters take precedence. After talking it over, we have decided that we will not be asking another person to join the wedding party. Eli is our bridesmaid even if she can't be there they day of the wedding. She's helped us so much with planning and ideas. We could never replace her. And I don't want to. Though she won't be with us, we know she'll be thinking of us. We've asked her to still be a part of everything, all the things bridesmaids do. Without her, I don't know if Kevin and I would even have gotten this far together. She's a great friend. We love her dearly!
We truly hope the family matters in Mexico go smoothly and for the best. We hope she returns safely and quickly. And when she gets back, we'll probably have a party so she can wear that oh-so-sexy dress she bought for the wedding!
Thank you, Eli! We love you!
How long has it been?
Friday, May 27, 2011
EuroTrip?
What's more exciting than getting married? The honeymoon! Kevin and I have been planning the honeymoon for a while. At first we decided to stay within the United States. But then we talked it over and talked to other people. We decided to go abroad. When will we ever have this opportunity again? Maybe not for many years, if ever.
Kevin has never been out of the country. This is going to be exciting and really great for him. Well, both of us. But really interesting for him. Culture shock! Also, if you know Kevin, you know he's a picky eater. So we'll see how this goes! I promise, I'll take pictures!
Princess offers a Grand Mediterranean cruise for varying lengths. We chose the 12 day cruise. This is where we started our planning. We start in Barcelona, Spain. We thought it would be nice to stay a couple days in Spain before the cruise to see the area. We started looking a little more and somehow we decided we'd fly from Chicago to Toulouse, France. I think there was a book I read that took place in Toulouse. This was many years ago but I've always wanted to go. I'm sure it'll be nothing like the book I read but I don't care. I still want to see it. Anyway, Kevin wants to go because of his new interest in wine. It seems Toulouse is in between two major wine countries. What they are I couldn't tell you. I believe one is Bordeaux. I could be wrong. In any case, we've decided we'll take a train from Toulouse to Barcelona. This will be an adventure in and of itself.
We'll spend a couple days in Barcelona before the cruise.
From Barcelona, we port in Monte Carlo, Monaco. We're thinking of taking a land excursion there, the French Riviera Drive. It's a scenic look at Monaco. I think there's a stop in a nearby town. I don't have the print out of the exact details.
From Monaco, we go to Florence/Pisa. There we will see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and the cathedral next to it. After Florence/Pisa, we head to Rome. We're really excited about Rome. We've reserved our spot to tour St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum. As you know, Kevin and I are nerds and enjoy history. So this is pretty awesome. A person I work with at the hospital just went to Italy. She said luckily her travel agent got her and her travel partner in to a group tour of Rome. When they were outside the Vatican, it was a 4 hour wait. But since they were part of a tour, they were able to walk right in. Very good information to have.
From Rome, we head to Naples/Capri. I know, I know. So many people have told us Naples is awful and have called it the "armpit of the world." One of Kevin's friends even told us not to get off the boat there. But we are. I desperately want to see Pompeii. And we're also taking a day trip of the Amalfi Coastal drive. Sounded pretty and it was part of the Pompeii package.
The next day we're at sea. I think we'll get a nice massage and lounge and try really hard not to get sun burned.
Then we head to Greece. We're spending a few hours on the beach at Mykonos. The photos are really beautiful and I can't wait. Though, I'm worried I'm going to die in the sun.
The next stop is Istanbul (not Constantinople), Turkey. There's a tour of St. Sophia, Topkapi, the Blue Mosque, and the Boshporus area. Kevin is excited because they show how to make carpets. I had to break the news to him that they do not in fact fly. He doesn't believe me.
After that we head to Ephesus, Turkey. It's a short stay there. And we signed up to see the Virgin Mary Shrine. This is the place where the Virgin Mary lived at the end of her life. The Catholic Church recognizes it as the last home she had before her death. Daily masses are held there.
The next stop is Athens, Greece. Again, I'm super excited about this. Here we'll see the Acropolis, Plaka and the Temple of Poseidon.
After Athens we have a day at sea where I'm sure we'll rest and try to recover from all the activity. And I think I'll get my nails done.
Then we port in Venice. We'll visit San Giorgio, the Murano Glass Factory and take a Gondola ride.
We have one night left on the ship and then we leave our cruise.
But that's not really the end. We thought we'd spend a couple days in Italy to finish things up. But then Kevin had a brilliant idea. He thought maybe we could travel a little more outside of Italy since we had already spent some time there. So we started looking at the map. On one of the longer cruises we looked at there was a stop in Slovenia. Some of our friends told us that Slovenia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) was really lovely. So we started looking at Slovenia. We found Bled. Bled is a touristy area. Though, I'd venture to say not many people I know have ever been there. I think maybe it's more touristy for Europeans. We looked at pictures and read up on the area. It's a town on Lake Bled. The pictures are amazing! Just breathtaking. There's a small island with a church on it. There's a boat that takes a trip out there and people can tour the church and the little island. From Bled we'll drive to the bigger town, which I have forgotten the name of, where the international airport is and we'll fly home.
Are you tired yet? I'm exhausted just from trying to keep track of it all! We are very lucky that both our jobs have been very accommodating in the needed time off. Our coworkers have been a great help as well.
So basically the whole month of September is jam packed full of fun. We start off getting married and then traveling Europe. I can't wait!
Things are going well with the planning. I'm trying to get all the invitation stuff done soon. The person that's making them is driving me a little insane but that's okay. As long as I can mail them out two months before the wedding I'll be happy.
The florist was great. We're really happy with the ideas she had. And she's super affordable. Bonus!
So far so good. Kevin hasn't killed me during my bridal meltdowns. And I haven't killed him during his less than brilliant moments. I think we'll actually make it!
Kevin has never been out of the country. This is going to be exciting and really great for him. Well, both of us. But really interesting for him. Culture shock! Also, if you know Kevin, you know he's a picky eater. So we'll see how this goes! I promise, I'll take pictures!
Princess offers a Grand Mediterranean cruise for varying lengths. We chose the 12 day cruise. This is where we started our planning. We start in Barcelona, Spain. We thought it would be nice to stay a couple days in Spain before the cruise to see the area. We started looking a little more and somehow we decided we'd fly from Chicago to Toulouse, France. I think there was a book I read that took place in Toulouse. This was many years ago but I've always wanted to go. I'm sure it'll be nothing like the book I read but I don't care. I still want to see it. Anyway, Kevin wants to go because of his new interest in wine. It seems Toulouse is in between two major wine countries. What they are I couldn't tell you. I believe one is Bordeaux. I could be wrong. In any case, we've decided we'll take a train from Toulouse to Barcelona. This will be an adventure in and of itself.
We'll spend a couple days in Barcelona before the cruise.
From Barcelona, we port in Monte Carlo, Monaco. We're thinking of taking a land excursion there, the French Riviera Drive. It's a scenic look at Monaco. I think there's a stop in a nearby town. I don't have the print out of the exact details.
From Monaco, we go to Florence/Pisa. There we will see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and the cathedral next to it. After Florence/Pisa, we head to Rome. We're really excited about Rome. We've reserved our spot to tour St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum. As you know, Kevin and I are nerds and enjoy history. So this is pretty awesome. A person I work with at the hospital just went to Italy. She said luckily her travel agent got her and her travel partner in to a group tour of Rome. When they were outside the Vatican, it was a 4 hour wait. But since they were part of a tour, they were able to walk right in. Very good information to have.
From Rome, we head to Naples/Capri. I know, I know. So many people have told us Naples is awful and have called it the "armpit of the world." One of Kevin's friends even told us not to get off the boat there. But we are. I desperately want to see Pompeii. And we're also taking a day trip of the Amalfi Coastal drive. Sounded pretty and it was part of the Pompeii package.
The next day we're at sea. I think we'll get a nice massage and lounge and try really hard not to get sun burned.
Then we head to Greece. We're spending a few hours on the beach at Mykonos. The photos are really beautiful and I can't wait. Though, I'm worried I'm going to die in the sun.
The next stop is Istanbul (not Constantinople), Turkey. There's a tour of St. Sophia, Topkapi, the Blue Mosque, and the Boshporus area. Kevin is excited because they show how to make carpets. I had to break the news to him that they do not in fact fly. He doesn't believe me.
After that we head to Ephesus, Turkey. It's a short stay there. And we signed up to see the Virgin Mary Shrine. This is the place where the Virgin Mary lived at the end of her life. The Catholic Church recognizes it as the last home she had before her death. Daily masses are held there.
The next stop is Athens, Greece. Again, I'm super excited about this. Here we'll see the Acropolis, Plaka and the Temple of Poseidon.
After Athens we have a day at sea where I'm sure we'll rest and try to recover from all the activity. And I think I'll get my nails done.
Then we port in Venice. We'll visit San Giorgio, the Murano Glass Factory and take a Gondola ride.
We have one night left on the ship and then we leave our cruise.
But that's not really the end. We thought we'd spend a couple days in Italy to finish things up. But then Kevin had a brilliant idea. He thought maybe we could travel a little more outside of Italy since we had already spent some time there. So we started looking at the map. On one of the longer cruises we looked at there was a stop in Slovenia. Some of our friends told us that Slovenia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) was really lovely. So we started looking at Slovenia. We found Bled. Bled is a touristy area. Though, I'd venture to say not many people I know have ever been there. I think maybe it's more touristy for Europeans. We looked at pictures and read up on the area. It's a town on Lake Bled. The pictures are amazing! Just breathtaking. There's a small island with a church on it. There's a boat that takes a trip out there and people can tour the church and the little island. From Bled we'll drive to the bigger town, which I have forgotten the name of, where the international airport is and we'll fly home.
Are you tired yet? I'm exhausted just from trying to keep track of it all! We are very lucky that both our jobs have been very accommodating in the needed time off. Our coworkers have been a great help as well.
So basically the whole month of September is jam packed full of fun. We start off getting married and then traveling Europe. I can't wait!
Things are going well with the planning. I'm trying to get all the invitation stuff done soon. The person that's making them is driving me a little insane but that's okay. As long as I can mail them out two months before the wedding I'll be happy.
The florist was great. We're really happy with the ideas she had. And she's super affordable. Bonus!
So far so good. Kevin hasn't killed me during my bridal meltdowns. And I haven't killed him during his less than brilliant moments. I think we'll actually make it!
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