Do you see that? That ticket at the top of the page? Yeah, it's getting really close.
Some of you have said you won't be able to make it for various reasons. I know you all wish you could be here. My good friend, Jessica, whose blog you can see at http://www.iliketoreadandtravel.com, has come up with the great idea of tweeting the Booth/Withem wedding for us. I feel like a star! Twitter. Well, I really don't know much about Twitter. I just heard the word "tweet" is now an accepted verb in the dictionary. Not like, "The bird tweets when it's happy." More like, "Let's tweet our day at the park." Anyway, if you have the inclination, go to www.twitter.com. On the main page, there is a box that reads, "search Twitter, " with a magnifying glass. In that box if you type #cottoncandywedding the results will be my wedding stuff. Jessica, AKA Juna, will be tweeting live. There will be pictures and stuff. She'll keep you informed of the days events. Her user name on Twitter is juna_101. You can follow her or search for her or whatever. She is quite interesting. But then again, I'm biased.
We're days away... and I'm not ready. So many little snafus here and there have added up and now I'm behind in just about everything. Lots of stress.
Well, that's the update for now. Next will be after the actual wedding! Woohoo!
How long has it been?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” ~ Langston Hughes
It's raining. But that's no reason to scowl out the window. Last night Aidan spent the night with us. That's Kevin's nephew. He's four. When we were on our way home from Rainforest Cafe he asked why it was raining. I explained the ground needed the water so plants could grow. Soon it will be time to harvest the crops. And for the crops to grow big and lush, we needed the rain. He seemed satisfied with that answer. Or he just lost interest and was on a different thought. I'd like to think the former is true. I like the rain. It washes the world. It's cleansing and pure. It patters down on the roof soothing the soul. I used to stand on the porch and watch the clouds rolling around in the sky with my dad. He taught me how to enjoy a storm. From the booming thunder to the cracks of lightening, all of it is a part of nature which we should appreciate. The house on Norwell has a porch in the back with an aluminum roof or something. That was the best place to listen to the rain fall. To really enjoy the storm, you have to use all your senses. Listen to the cracks, booms, and patters. Smell the crisp of the rain mixing with the earth. Feel the breeze and the dampness on your skin. If you're lucky, you might have some goosebumps on your arms to add a little texture. If you're brave tilt your head back, stick out your tongue and let the rain fall on it. It's kind of like sipping wine. Breathe in the scent of the world because it brings out the flavor of the rain. Keep your eyes open. Really see what's happening around you. Verdant tree tops sway against the contrast of the dark clouds swimming through the sky. With rain, everything is more green, more alive.
Rain is so soothing, most people take the time to curl up and read a book or nap. It puts most of us at peace. Ordinarily, today I would be just about to walk in to work. But my unit is closed. Again. So I'm on call. I thought I'd sit and "put pen to paper" and blog a little in this day of peacefulness.
Kevin and I had a mutual day off yesterday. We started the day off with a trip to the rheumatologist's office. My first appointment. I was nervous. Still, my blood pressure was good. My pulse, higher of course. The doctor came in and spent a lot of time talking with me about my history, my current symptoms and what we've done so far. There were times when I felt she really wasn't listening, too busy thinking, and it made me frustrated. She did a physical assessment and then told me her plan. She wanted X-Rays of my hands, wrists, feet, and ankles. She also wanted a long list, 22 items, of lab work. For now, I do not need another biopsy. She sent me to another room in her office where the very nice lab tech attempted to draw my blood. Kevin kept it light and fun. He made the office staff laugh. More importantly, he kept me calm and optimistic. After three attempts, the lab tech admitted defeat. My veins are not to be envied. They are not the great plump rope like veins Kevin has. Mine are wiggly, small, and deep. I picked up my paperwork and a prescription for more medicine, planned my next visit and took the very long walk to the registration area for X-Rays. Kevin found us a seat near the only TV in the waiting room where we watched Tom and Jerry. I love that I can watch cartoons with him and he doesn't roll his eyes and say we're too old for that nonsense. It seemed like forever but they finally called my name. I went in and had 3 or 4 views of each hand and foot done.
From there we headed home. Karen arrived shortly after with the kids and Mr. Booth. Aidan and Mr. Booth had just been fitted for their tuxedos for the wedding. I hear Aidan is excited but a little sad that his tux is not green. We left shortly after to see the Smurfs movie. I really wasn't sure I'd like it but it was really good. I love Neil Patrick Harris. He's so funny! It was interesting watching Aidan laugh and sit so still watching the movie. From there we went to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. It was my first time. We had a great time there! Aidan picked out bug goggles. They have a piece in them over the eyes so you can see what it's like to be a wasp. I think that's the one he got. There's a wasp, ant, and something else. He wanted the blue one. He also picked out a little box like a briefcase of stretchy colorful lizards, snakes, and frogs. He really likes those. We had dinner and talked. He kept us entertained. We talked about getting the volcano. It's a huge dessert that looks like a volcano. It's like five scoops of vanilla ice cream with 3 or 4 huge pieces of brownie and a sparkler in the top. I think there's caramel drizzled around it, too. Aidan said he thought we should get it next time. I'm not sure how it came up but he told me that sometimes when he doesn't get chocolate he cries really hard. I could totally relate to that.
After dinner we went home to build a fort in front of the TV. There was a disagreement between the engineers (Kevin and me). But it turned out okay. We watched a movie while hiding in the fort. Finally around 11pm Aidan fell asleep. Kevin couldn't get comfortable in the fort. He retreated back to the bedroom but sat there for an hour worrying about Aidan before he finally fell asleep. He didn't trust the integrity of the fort and was afraid it would fall in on him. I knew he'd be fine. I was worried he'd wake up and forget where he was and freak out. I stayed at the end of the tent with him. It was a restless sleep. My joints were aching and the floor wasn't so comfortable. Really, nothing would have been comfortable. Joint pain is just kind of miserable no matter what.
Bright and early, Aidan woke up at 7:15. To my surprise, so did Kevin! We got cleaned up and headed out for breakfast at Brunch Cafe down the street. Aidan ordered Chocolate chip pancakes and a glass of orange juice without water. Of course, I asked her to mix some water in, though. We ate our breakfast and talked about what to do next. Aidan wanted to paint a bird house. We came home an got on our painting clothes. We had saved a special bird house for Aidan, a rocket ship. Which of course he painted green. That was short lived. He quickly got bored and ran off to play with his new toys from Rainforest Cafe. He did shout back some orders for Uncle to finish painting the bird house.
Kevin was cleaning up the fort and putting things away. Aidan was excited to go home to see his mom and dad. And his sister, too. He wants to come back again and do it all over. I think we had a good time.
It was a good practice run. We have some work to do. I forget that Kevin hasn't really been around little kids. He was the baby of his family until Aidan was born. He did pretty well for not really having any idea of what he's doing. I'm not an expert by any means. I've taken care of my brother since he was born and babysat lots of kids of all ages. And now I'm a pediatric nurse. So have some experience. None of that is as good as being a parent, though.
The best part was watching Kevin hold Aidan's hand and help him with things. He's very good with Aidan. It's a big change from when I first was around the family when Aidan was a few months old. Kevin would kind of hold him and stare at him like, "Now what?" Women always say guys that are good with little kids get extra points. It makes them more attractive somehow. This is totally true. This will probably make Kevin's stomach fall out of his behind but, he's going to make a great dad some day!
I wish my dad were here to see how Kevin has grown. My dad liked Kevin. He was happy we were getting married. He just wanted to be sure it was the right choice. Like most dads, he had his reservations. Mom did, too. But since Dad's passing, Mom has gotten to know Kevin more. He's really a part of the family now. She approves 100% and I know my dad would, too.
Rain is so soothing, most people take the time to curl up and read a book or nap. It puts most of us at peace. Ordinarily, today I would be just about to walk in to work. But my unit is closed. Again. So I'm on call. I thought I'd sit and "put pen to paper" and blog a little in this day of peacefulness.
Kevin and I had a mutual day off yesterday. We started the day off with a trip to the rheumatologist's office. My first appointment. I was nervous. Still, my blood pressure was good. My pulse, higher of course. The doctor came in and spent a lot of time talking with me about my history, my current symptoms and what we've done so far. There were times when I felt she really wasn't listening, too busy thinking, and it made me frustrated. She did a physical assessment and then told me her plan. She wanted X-Rays of my hands, wrists, feet, and ankles. She also wanted a long list, 22 items, of lab work. For now, I do not need another biopsy. She sent me to another room in her office where the very nice lab tech attempted to draw my blood. Kevin kept it light and fun. He made the office staff laugh. More importantly, he kept me calm and optimistic. After three attempts, the lab tech admitted defeat. My veins are not to be envied. They are not the great plump rope like veins Kevin has. Mine are wiggly, small, and deep. I picked up my paperwork and a prescription for more medicine, planned my next visit and took the very long walk to the registration area for X-Rays. Kevin found us a seat near the only TV in the waiting room where we watched Tom and Jerry. I love that I can watch cartoons with him and he doesn't roll his eyes and say we're too old for that nonsense. It seemed like forever but they finally called my name. I went in and had 3 or 4 views of each hand and foot done.
From there we headed home. Karen arrived shortly after with the kids and Mr. Booth. Aidan and Mr. Booth had just been fitted for their tuxedos for the wedding. I hear Aidan is excited but a little sad that his tux is not green. We left shortly after to see the Smurfs movie. I really wasn't sure I'd like it but it was really good. I love Neil Patrick Harris. He's so funny! It was interesting watching Aidan laugh and sit so still watching the movie. From there we went to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. It was my first time. We had a great time there! Aidan picked out bug goggles. They have a piece in them over the eyes so you can see what it's like to be a wasp. I think that's the one he got. There's a wasp, ant, and something else. He wanted the blue one. He also picked out a little box like a briefcase of stretchy colorful lizards, snakes, and frogs. He really likes those. We had dinner and talked. He kept us entertained. We talked about getting the volcano. It's a huge dessert that looks like a volcano. It's like five scoops of vanilla ice cream with 3 or 4 huge pieces of brownie and a sparkler in the top. I think there's caramel drizzled around it, too. Aidan said he thought we should get it next time. I'm not sure how it came up but he told me that sometimes when he doesn't get chocolate he cries really hard. I could totally relate to that.
After dinner we went home to build a fort in front of the TV. There was a disagreement between the engineers (Kevin and me). But it turned out okay. We watched a movie while hiding in the fort. Finally around 11pm Aidan fell asleep. Kevin couldn't get comfortable in the fort. He retreated back to the bedroom but sat there for an hour worrying about Aidan before he finally fell asleep. He didn't trust the integrity of the fort and was afraid it would fall in on him. I knew he'd be fine. I was worried he'd wake up and forget where he was and freak out. I stayed at the end of the tent with him. It was a restless sleep. My joints were aching and the floor wasn't so comfortable. Really, nothing would have been comfortable. Joint pain is just kind of miserable no matter what.
Bright and early, Aidan woke up at 7:15. To my surprise, so did Kevin! We got cleaned up and headed out for breakfast at Brunch Cafe down the street. Aidan ordered Chocolate chip pancakes and a glass of orange juice without water. Of course, I asked her to mix some water in, though. We ate our breakfast and talked about what to do next. Aidan wanted to paint a bird house. We came home an got on our painting clothes. We had saved a special bird house for Aidan, a rocket ship. Which of course he painted green. That was short lived. He quickly got bored and ran off to play with his new toys from Rainforest Cafe. He did shout back some orders for Uncle to finish painting the bird house.
Kevin was cleaning up the fort and putting things away. Aidan was excited to go home to see his mom and dad. And his sister, too. He wants to come back again and do it all over. I think we had a good time.
It was a good practice run. We have some work to do. I forget that Kevin hasn't really been around little kids. He was the baby of his family until Aidan was born. He did pretty well for not really having any idea of what he's doing. I'm not an expert by any means. I've taken care of my brother since he was born and babysat lots of kids of all ages. And now I'm a pediatric nurse. So have some experience. None of that is as good as being a parent, though.
The best part was watching Kevin hold Aidan's hand and help him with things. He's very good with Aidan. It's a big change from when I first was around the family when Aidan was a few months old. Kevin would kind of hold him and stare at him like, "Now what?" Women always say guys that are good with little kids get extra points. It makes them more attractive somehow. This is totally true. This will probably make Kevin's stomach fall out of his behind but, he's going to make a great dad some day!
I wish my dad were here to see how Kevin has grown. My dad liked Kevin. He was happy we were getting married. He just wanted to be sure it was the right choice. Like most dads, he had his reservations. Mom did, too. But since Dad's passing, Mom has gotten to know Kevin more. He's really a part of the family now. She approves 100% and I know my dad would, too.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner
I really feel like that's going to be true for us. We're going to annoy the dickens out of each other. And there's no other way I'd rather have it.
If you're reading this the day I'm posting it, you'll notice there are 22 days left until the wedding. That is under one month. Some days I feel like we've been planning this wedding for 10 years. At this moment, I feel like we've just started planning. We really don't have much left to do. Thankfully. There are some small details that have to be worked out. And there are some larger details that have to be worked out, as well. All in all, it's not bad. I am less stressed. Though, I think much of that is due to not working 5 and 6 12 hour shifts a week. That was getting to be too much. My health, well, it's there. Neither better nor worse. This Friday I have my appointment with the rheumatologist. I'm bringing my lab and pathology reports for the doctor to look over. With any luck she'll be able to figure out what's going on with me and fix or treat me in time for the wedding. It would just be really nice to not have this rash or itch or ache on the day of the wedding. Kevin has been so great. There have been some nights or mornings when I'm going to bed after a very long day and my body is so stiff and achy I can't help but cry. He's always there to help me get as comfortable as possible and medicate me. He tucks me in and waits for me to fall asleep. I just love him!
Anyway, so hopefully, those of you staying the night have reserved your rooms either at Pheasant Run Resort or at Country Inn & Suites. There will be a shuttle from the Country Inn before the wedding ceremony and after the reception. We're working on getting an additional shuttle time for the time after the end of the ceremony and the start of the cocktail hour. We'll see how that works.
The ceremony starts at 4pm. Providing the weather cooperates, we'll be married outside. After the ceremony, there will be an hour break before the cocktail hour starts on Bourbon Street. Dinner will follow the cocktail hour. I think everyone will have a great time. The morning following the wedding, we'll be having breakfast at Pheasant Run. I hear the breakfast buffet is amazing. We hope people will join us in the morning, even if you're not staying at Pheasant Run. I believe some of the guys are going to golf that morning, too. Tee time is 10am but may change if more people are interested. There's talk of a having a scramble. I'm not really sure what that means but if you golf, I hope that makes sense. If you want to be included in the golf outing, contact Kevin. He'll take your information and get you the details. I think as far as ladies and those of us not golfing, we'll be sitting poolside and just enjoying ourselves. The mall is just down the street so we could head over there. I would like to just have fun and relax. There is a Mario Tricoci on site. A massage may be in order. There is the option of seeing Steve-O at Zanies, the comedy club on site. I was skeptical at first but it actually doesn't sound like a bad show. I'm really not sure how many people are staying for activities Saturday. We're open to suggestions.
We're really looking forward to seeing our out of town family and friends. Not that we don't want to see our local family and friends but it's been a long time since we've seen everyone else. I'm looking forward to the dancing and such. I think it will be a great time in general.
I have to admit, I'm really excited for the honeymoon. We definitely need a break. We're both stressed out and ready for time together and free from our daily grind. When we get back we'll be looking for a house. In fact, we're already kind of looking. My thought is that we need at least a 3 bedroom house with at least 2 full bathrooms. Kevin is more interested in the garage situation. Which I understand. It's been an interesting search so far. We're not really sure where we'd like to live for one. We have a couple ideas. Some of those ideas involve getting new jobs closer to the area where we'd be living. There's more research that needs to be done.
The weekend of the 19th we've decided to go to the lake. The lake is Apple Canyon Lake. That's where my mom's parents live. It was supposed to be a girls' weekend away but the only girl going now is Sara, besides me. So Kevin has decided to come along. I think one of his groomsman will be coming with us. It'll be a nice time. I haven't been up there in a couple years. When I think of my "happy place" it's this place. I always think of it in the Fall when the leaves are changing. I imagine a crackling fire in the stone fireplace while I sit curled up on the couch with a blanket and a good book, and hopefully a glass of wine or a nice hot cup of tea. That is the best place on Earth. If I can remember to, I'll take some pictures and post them.
Shortly after that will be the wedding. It's so exciting but nerve-wracking at the same time. I can't wait to marry my soul mate, my best friend. And I really can't wait to be done with all the planning and drama of the wedding.
If you're reading this the day I'm posting it, you'll notice there are 22 days left until the wedding. That is under one month. Some days I feel like we've been planning this wedding for 10 years. At this moment, I feel like we've just started planning. We really don't have much left to do. Thankfully. There are some small details that have to be worked out. And there are some larger details that have to be worked out, as well. All in all, it's not bad. I am less stressed. Though, I think much of that is due to not working 5 and 6 12 hour shifts a week. That was getting to be too much. My health, well, it's there. Neither better nor worse. This Friday I have my appointment with the rheumatologist. I'm bringing my lab and pathology reports for the doctor to look over. With any luck she'll be able to figure out what's going on with me and fix or treat me in time for the wedding. It would just be really nice to not have this rash or itch or ache on the day of the wedding. Kevin has been so great. There have been some nights or mornings when I'm going to bed after a very long day and my body is so stiff and achy I can't help but cry. He's always there to help me get as comfortable as possible and medicate me. He tucks me in and waits for me to fall asleep. I just love him!
Anyway, so hopefully, those of you staying the night have reserved your rooms either at Pheasant Run Resort or at Country Inn & Suites. There will be a shuttle from the Country Inn before the wedding ceremony and after the reception. We're working on getting an additional shuttle time for the time after the end of the ceremony and the start of the cocktail hour. We'll see how that works.
The ceremony starts at 4pm. Providing the weather cooperates, we'll be married outside. After the ceremony, there will be an hour break before the cocktail hour starts on Bourbon Street. Dinner will follow the cocktail hour. I think everyone will have a great time. The morning following the wedding, we'll be having breakfast at Pheasant Run. I hear the breakfast buffet is amazing. We hope people will join us in the morning, even if you're not staying at Pheasant Run. I believe some of the guys are going to golf that morning, too. Tee time is 10am but may change if more people are interested. There's talk of a having a scramble. I'm not really sure what that means but if you golf, I hope that makes sense. If you want to be included in the golf outing, contact Kevin. He'll take your information and get you the details. I think as far as ladies and those of us not golfing, we'll be sitting poolside and just enjoying ourselves. The mall is just down the street so we could head over there. I would like to just have fun and relax. There is a Mario Tricoci on site. A massage may be in order. There is the option of seeing Steve-O at Zanies, the comedy club on site. I was skeptical at first but it actually doesn't sound like a bad show. I'm really not sure how many people are staying for activities Saturday. We're open to suggestions.
We're really looking forward to seeing our out of town family and friends. Not that we don't want to see our local family and friends but it's been a long time since we've seen everyone else. I'm looking forward to the dancing and such. I think it will be a great time in general.
I have to admit, I'm really excited for the honeymoon. We definitely need a break. We're both stressed out and ready for time together and free from our daily grind. When we get back we'll be looking for a house. In fact, we're already kind of looking. My thought is that we need at least a 3 bedroom house with at least 2 full bathrooms. Kevin is more interested in the garage situation. Which I understand. It's been an interesting search so far. We're not really sure where we'd like to live for one. We have a couple ideas. Some of those ideas involve getting new jobs closer to the area where we'd be living. There's more research that needs to be done.
The weekend of the 19th we've decided to go to the lake. The lake is Apple Canyon Lake. That's where my mom's parents live. It was supposed to be a girls' weekend away but the only girl going now is Sara, besides me. So Kevin has decided to come along. I think one of his groomsman will be coming with us. It'll be a nice time. I haven't been up there in a couple years. When I think of my "happy place" it's this place. I always think of it in the Fall when the leaves are changing. I imagine a crackling fire in the stone fireplace while I sit curled up on the couch with a blanket and a good book, and hopefully a glass of wine or a nice hot cup of tea. That is the best place on Earth. If I can remember to, I'll take some pictures and post them.
Shortly after that will be the wedding. It's so exciting but nerve-wracking at the same time. I can't wait to marry my soul mate, my best friend. And I really can't wait to be done with all the planning and drama of the wedding.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Reality Sets In
Sunday was my (our) bridal shower. My lovely aunts (Cindy, Connie, Cathy, Barb, and Carolyn), with some help from my mom, made this really great celebration. It was so pretty. Our wedding colors, red and ivory, decorated the house. They had placed beautiful white daisies throughout the house. Everything was so great. The food was really yummy. And then the cake! German chocolate, which is my all time favorite. So many people came. I was amazed how blessed we are to have so many friends and family that care. People were way too generous! I can't believe the things we received. It had been a while since we had made the registry. We promised each other we wouldn't look at it so it would be a surprise. Well, time passed and we both just kind of forgot about it with everything else that's going on in our lives. Though the gifts were things we had added to our registry, it was still a great surprise since we hadn't looked at the registry.
I have to say I just really loved my helpers. Emma, my cousin's little girl, and Megan, my soon-to-be-niece, were very helpful with the task of opening presents. They were so cute. Emma is about 4 and megan is a year and a half. They were a great team. I think there's some good pictures of them somewhere. I thought I knew how to open presents but these girls have it down to a science. Emma took charge of the more difficult wrapping jobs. They were under strict orders not to break any ribbons. And they followed said orders! They were so cute. Megan was in charge of taking the bows and ribbons to my friend, Hiroko, to make the practice bouquet. She did a great job. She was a little confused at first. I think there were just too many new people. The girls were great!
The morning of the shower, I was in the bathroom getting ready. I was wondering who would be there and what was planned and how embarrassed would I be when it hit me. I'm getting married. For real. Soon. In six weeks. Holy $h!t! There have been times when I feel like an adult. But usually in my head I still feel like I'm anywhere between the ages of 13 and 19. It all depends on the company I'm with, like the kids or Kevin. With this realization, I really felt like an adult. A full adult. I can't say I'm not nervous. I am. Very. But not about spending my life with Kevin. That part comforts me. He's my best friend and everything I could ever want in a husband. He makes me laugh. He comforts me when I'm down. He stands by me when I need strength. He reminds me of my good qualities. He gets dorky and nerdy with me. He loves me unconditionally. No other guy has ever made me feel as happy as he does. He is my perfect match. I suppose what makes me nervous is being the center of attention and making sure everyone has an awesome time. Someone mentioned to me at one point that even when I'm slurping soup, people will be watching us. That's just freaky. And pressure! I almost always spill on myself. I don't want anything on my wedding gown and I really don't want anyone to see me spill on myself! Kevin joked about getting me a bib or something. I'm seriously considering it. The bridal shower was a good practice at being the party's focus. But I know it will be much more intense the day of the wedding. I keep praying I don't trip and fall in front of everyone!
For the most part, everything is coming together. I was freaking out about the invitations. Karen, Kevin's sister, had a great idea. She suggested that I contact the printer and have her send the invitations now. The problem was the envelopes. The printer didn't have the envelopes yet. She was still waiting for them. I couldn't wait any longer. The invitations were supposed to be mailed out the first week of July. Karen said we could buy envelopes and print them ourselves. Karen is quite a crafty person. She's like a really awesome version of Martha Stewart. She knew of a shop that had all kinds of supplies for this sort of thing. The invitations were sent next day air. I bought the envelopes. We started printing them right away. We worked on them all weekend. Monday morning we bought all the necessary stamps. They are now stamped and sealed and ready to go to the post office first thing this morning. Thank goodness! There is one thing we didn't make clear. The ceremony starts at 4pm outside on the patio. It should be about 30 minutes. The cocktail hour starts at 5:30pm inside on Bourbon Street. We decided there should be some downtime between the two so we don't miss anything and also to give the vendors time to set things up. That gives our guests time to check-in, change, use the bathroom, stretch, or whatever else they would like to do before the party starts. The wedding party and some family members will be taking photos during that hour break. The reception will immediately follow the cocktail hour in the Orleans ballroom. Everything will be marked but I thought we'd give a little warning.
My brother, the Man of Honor, went with me to my trial hair and make up appointment. There were several points when I saw the look on the stylist's face. I did tell her that my brother is not in fact gay. He just knows about vintage hair styles and make up, which still sounds strange. It was a good time. He gave me good advice. I'm not quite satisfied with the look and may ask for another appointment to try something a little different. I have a piece I really want to incorporate. We'll see what happens.
Little details are being worked out. There are a couple surprises for the ceremony and wedding and I'm so excited! Even Kevin doesn't know everything. It's going to be great!
I'm getting really excited. And I have to say, I'm really looking forward to the honeymoon. I need a vacation!
I have to say I just really loved my helpers. Emma, my cousin's little girl, and Megan, my soon-to-be-niece, were very helpful with the task of opening presents. They were so cute. Emma is about 4 and megan is a year and a half. They were a great team. I think there's some good pictures of them somewhere. I thought I knew how to open presents but these girls have it down to a science. Emma took charge of the more difficult wrapping jobs. They were under strict orders not to break any ribbons. And they followed said orders! They were so cute. Megan was in charge of taking the bows and ribbons to my friend, Hiroko, to make the practice bouquet. She did a great job. She was a little confused at first. I think there were just too many new people. The girls were great!
The morning of the shower, I was in the bathroom getting ready. I was wondering who would be there and what was planned and how embarrassed would I be when it hit me. I'm getting married. For real. Soon. In six weeks. Holy $h!t! There have been times when I feel like an adult. But usually in my head I still feel like I'm anywhere between the ages of 13 and 19. It all depends on the company I'm with, like the kids or Kevin. With this realization, I really felt like an adult. A full adult. I can't say I'm not nervous. I am. Very. But not about spending my life with Kevin. That part comforts me. He's my best friend and everything I could ever want in a husband. He makes me laugh. He comforts me when I'm down. He stands by me when I need strength. He reminds me of my good qualities. He gets dorky and nerdy with me. He loves me unconditionally. No other guy has ever made me feel as happy as he does. He is my perfect match. I suppose what makes me nervous is being the center of attention and making sure everyone has an awesome time. Someone mentioned to me at one point that even when I'm slurping soup, people will be watching us. That's just freaky. And pressure! I almost always spill on myself. I don't want anything on my wedding gown and I really don't want anyone to see me spill on myself! Kevin joked about getting me a bib or something. I'm seriously considering it. The bridal shower was a good practice at being the party's focus. But I know it will be much more intense the day of the wedding. I keep praying I don't trip and fall in front of everyone!
For the most part, everything is coming together. I was freaking out about the invitations. Karen, Kevin's sister, had a great idea. She suggested that I contact the printer and have her send the invitations now. The problem was the envelopes. The printer didn't have the envelopes yet. She was still waiting for them. I couldn't wait any longer. The invitations were supposed to be mailed out the first week of July. Karen said we could buy envelopes and print them ourselves. Karen is quite a crafty person. She's like a really awesome version of Martha Stewart. She knew of a shop that had all kinds of supplies for this sort of thing. The invitations were sent next day air. I bought the envelopes. We started printing them right away. We worked on them all weekend. Monday morning we bought all the necessary stamps. They are now stamped and sealed and ready to go to the post office first thing this morning. Thank goodness! There is one thing we didn't make clear. The ceremony starts at 4pm outside on the patio. It should be about 30 minutes. The cocktail hour starts at 5:30pm inside on Bourbon Street. We decided there should be some downtime between the two so we don't miss anything and also to give the vendors time to set things up. That gives our guests time to check-in, change, use the bathroom, stretch, or whatever else they would like to do before the party starts. The wedding party and some family members will be taking photos during that hour break. The reception will immediately follow the cocktail hour in the Orleans ballroom. Everything will be marked but I thought we'd give a little warning.
My brother, the Man of Honor, went with me to my trial hair and make up appointment. There were several points when I saw the look on the stylist's face. I did tell her that my brother is not in fact gay. He just knows about vintage hair styles and make up, which still sounds strange. It was a good time. He gave me good advice. I'm not quite satisfied with the look and may ask for another appointment to try something a little different. I have a piece I really want to incorporate. We'll see what happens.
Little details are being worked out. There are a couple surprises for the ceremony and wedding and I'm so excited! Even Kevin doesn't know everything. It's going to be great!
I'm getting really excited. And I have to say, I'm really looking forward to the honeymoon. I need a vacation!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." - Groucho Marx
And that my friends and loved ones is the kind of joke Kevin tells. You'll agree if he has ever tried to tell the Ford truck joke... Yikes!
Anyway, time is marching on, as it always does. I believe the little count down clock says 54 days. Less than two months. Does anyone else think that's just crazy? I mean, it was just yesterday that he asked me to marry him. I guess it was really just over a year ago, but it feels like yesterday. As my brother will tell you, I'm not the best at time. He mentioned the other day his ten year high school reunion is coming up. It didn't make sense to me because I had my ten year reunion last year. And my brother is four years younger than me. Then he ever so gently reminded me that my reunion was in 2008. And by "gently" I mean he smacked me in the forehead and basically called me old. Nice.
Back to wedding business. There have been some bumps in the road. But we're taking them in stride. All the vendors seem to be ready and have answered all our questions as they come up. Kevin and I are going to be working on our vows soon. We've been thinking about them but we'll start working with the Reverend on them. Time for little details now. Like the wedding favors and stuff.
One of the bumps is that we're still waiting for our invitations to arrive. Normally, I'm not a nail biter. I leave that to Kevin (who will be getting a manicure before the wedding if he likes it or not!). But these days I barely have any nails. I've been assured that she will mail them out this week with a rush delivery. The envelopes she said that were mailed to her were crushed and she had to reorder them. I politely but sternly explained my invitations were supposed to have been mailed to my guests 2 weeks ago. So, I'm a bit peeved.
Everything else is going well. I had my final gown fitting on Friday. I was really nervous and freaking out. All in all the day turned out well but started out really awful - which I will get into soon. My cousin and bridesmaid, Sara, joined me at the bridal shop for the fitting. She's finally back from Spain and I can't believe how tan she is. She looks great! She was helping me into these torture devices we call under garments when there was a knock at the "door" which is really a curtain. Karen, my soon-to-be sister-in-law poked her head in. I was so pleasantly surprised! I was thrilled! She helped me into those torture devices. She and Sara used great team work to figure out how to properly secure me in my gown. And then I stepped out of the curtain to that little pedestal to give them room and see how it looked. Suddenly, my mom showed up! I almost cried. I went from being unsure that anyone would be there with me to having all these important people there. I felt so loved and supported! My mom and Karen had never seen the gown in person. They were really happy. I was happy. But I was feeling self-conscious. I've been battling this red patchy rash all over my body. It's very prominent on my arms and legs. Well, luckily my legs are hidden away. But some of the rash on my arms shows. I wanted something to cover it up just in case. The staff there helped us figure out what we were looking for and had the perfect solution. I felt so much more at ease. Just before we left a woman poked her head out of a dressing room. I thought she was looking for one of the seamstresses. She looked at me and told me how beautiful I looked and that she understands why I'm self-conscious but I shouldn't be because I looked beautiful. And I tried not to cry. My family told me I looked great which means a lot but to hear it from a stranger, it just makes it a little more true somehow. I mean, your family loves you no matter what and they see the person you are so you're beautiful to them anyway. So that ended on a positive note.
One of the other little bumps was the bridal shower invites. There was a typo for my mom's phone number. Kind of an issue. But we managed to take care of that. I collected as many phone numbers as I could and sent messages to the people I could about the error. I think almost everyone has been contacted now. Disaster averted.
The honeymoon plans have been set in motion. This is so much more less stress which is great for me! I'm pretty sure the stress of everything is what's kind set this rash on me. Kevin and I booked our trip to the West Coast. We leave for San Diego on September 6th. We return from Seattle on September 22nd. It's going to be great! I can't wait. We're not planning every moment of every day. We are spending some time in San Diego to see the sites. Then we have a few spots here and there we want to see but nothing else set in stone. I talked to a friend that's from California. She just took her family out there for a vacation and they had a few plans scheduled but nothing else strictly set. She said it was the best vacation they've had. That's what we want, too. I think we're going to make a stop at Disneyland. Kevin's never been to any of the Disney parks. I've never been to Disneyland so this will be great!
Anyway, time is marching on, as it always does. I believe the little count down clock says 54 days. Less than two months. Does anyone else think that's just crazy? I mean, it was just yesterday that he asked me to marry him. I guess it was really just over a year ago, but it feels like yesterday. As my brother will tell you, I'm not the best at time. He mentioned the other day his ten year high school reunion is coming up. It didn't make sense to me because I had my ten year reunion last year. And my brother is four years younger than me. Then he ever so gently reminded me that my reunion was in 2008. And by "gently" I mean he smacked me in the forehead and basically called me old. Nice.
Back to wedding business. There have been some bumps in the road. But we're taking them in stride. All the vendors seem to be ready and have answered all our questions as they come up. Kevin and I are going to be working on our vows soon. We've been thinking about them but we'll start working with the Reverend on them. Time for little details now. Like the wedding favors and stuff.
One of the bumps is that we're still waiting for our invitations to arrive. Normally, I'm not a nail biter. I leave that to Kevin (who will be getting a manicure before the wedding if he likes it or not!). But these days I barely have any nails. I've been assured that she will mail them out this week with a rush delivery. The envelopes she said that were mailed to her were crushed and she had to reorder them. I politely but sternly explained my invitations were supposed to have been mailed to my guests 2 weeks ago. So, I'm a bit peeved.
Everything else is going well. I had my final gown fitting on Friday. I was really nervous and freaking out. All in all the day turned out well but started out really awful - which I will get into soon. My cousin and bridesmaid, Sara, joined me at the bridal shop for the fitting. She's finally back from Spain and I can't believe how tan she is. She looks great! She was helping me into these torture devices we call under garments when there was a knock at the "door" which is really a curtain. Karen, my soon-to-be sister-in-law poked her head in. I was so pleasantly surprised! I was thrilled! She helped me into those torture devices. She and Sara used great team work to figure out how to properly secure me in my gown. And then I stepped out of the curtain to that little pedestal to give them room and see how it looked. Suddenly, my mom showed up! I almost cried. I went from being unsure that anyone would be there with me to having all these important people there. I felt so loved and supported! My mom and Karen had never seen the gown in person. They were really happy. I was happy. But I was feeling self-conscious. I've been battling this red patchy rash all over my body. It's very prominent on my arms and legs. Well, luckily my legs are hidden away. But some of the rash on my arms shows. I wanted something to cover it up just in case. The staff there helped us figure out what we were looking for and had the perfect solution. I felt so much more at ease. Just before we left a woman poked her head out of a dressing room. I thought she was looking for one of the seamstresses. She looked at me and told me how beautiful I looked and that she understands why I'm self-conscious but I shouldn't be because I looked beautiful. And I tried not to cry. My family told me I looked great which means a lot but to hear it from a stranger, it just makes it a little more true somehow. I mean, your family loves you no matter what and they see the person you are so you're beautiful to them anyway. So that ended on a positive note.
One of the other little bumps was the bridal shower invites. There was a typo for my mom's phone number. Kind of an issue. But we managed to take care of that. I collected as many phone numbers as I could and sent messages to the people I could about the error. I think almost everyone has been contacted now. Disaster averted.
The honeymoon plans have been set in motion. This is so much more less stress which is great for me! I'm pretty sure the stress of everything is what's kind set this rash on me. Kevin and I booked our trip to the West Coast. We leave for San Diego on September 6th. We return from Seattle on September 22nd. It's going to be great! I can't wait. We're not planning every moment of every day. We are spending some time in San Diego to see the sites. Then we have a few spots here and there we want to see but nothing else set in stone. I talked to a friend that's from California. She just took her family out there for a vacation and they had a few plans scheduled but nothing else strictly set. She said it was the best vacation they've had. That's what we want, too. I think we're going to make a stop at Disneyland. Kevin's never been to any of the Disney parks. I've never been to Disneyland so this will be great!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Jinx!
Something people don't really know about me is that I have an irrational fear. Well, a few of those. But the one I'm referring to now is in regards to planning. I've this thought that if I make a plan and I share it too soon, then the plans will fall apart and I'll basically jinx myself. Well, that seems to have happened.
The honeymoon plans have changed. Europe just wasn't meant to be right now. We're not saying never. Just not right now. Slovenia will have to wait. Sigh. Kevin and I canceled our Europe plans and were devising a new plan. He thought on his own for a bit while I put my thinking cap on, too. We both came up with the same kind of idea. Seattle. The plan is still in the works. The idea is we'll fly to San Diego and rent a car, hopefully a convertible. We'll drive up the Pacific Coast Highway 101 to Seattle. We'll take two weeks and just enjoy ourselves. We'll take in all that we can of the Pacific Coast. We're planning on a little trip out of the country to Victoria, British Columbia.
Dates aren't set yet but it will be in September since we already had the time off approved with our jobs. We're excited. There's a lot to do and see and we're hoping we'll have time for some side trips to see our friends and family along the way.
At the end of the trip, my mom and my brother will most likely be joining us in Seattle. My mom and dad were engaged on Mt. Rainier. Paradise Lookout, if I remember correctly. One of Dad's final wishes was to have some of his remains left at that spot. So we'll have a nice family moment together.
If any one has suggestions of places to see or things to do along the way, please let us know. We're really open to suggestions.
Otherwise, the planning is coming along well. Time is flying by for us. It's already summer. It seems like we just got engaged a few months ago. Crazy!
The honeymoon plans have changed. Europe just wasn't meant to be right now. We're not saying never. Just not right now. Slovenia will have to wait. Sigh. Kevin and I canceled our Europe plans and were devising a new plan. He thought on his own for a bit while I put my thinking cap on, too. We both came up with the same kind of idea. Seattle. The plan is still in the works. The idea is we'll fly to San Diego and rent a car, hopefully a convertible. We'll drive up the Pacific Coast Highway 101 to Seattle. We'll take two weeks and just enjoy ourselves. We'll take in all that we can of the Pacific Coast. We're planning on a little trip out of the country to Victoria, British Columbia.
Dates aren't set yet but it will be in September since we already had the time off approved with our jobs. We're excited. There's a lot to do and see and we're hoping we'll have time for some side trips to see our friends and family along the way.
At the end of the trip, my mom and my brother will most likely be joining us in Seattle. My mom and dad were engaged on Mt. Rainier. Paradise Lookout, if I remember correctly. One of Dad's final wishes was to have some of his remains left at that spot. So we'll have a nice family moment together.
If any one has suggestions of places to see or things to do along the way, please let us know. We're really open to suggestions.
Otherwise, the planning is coming along well. Time is flying by for us. It's already summer. It seems like we just got engaged a few months ago. Crazy!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Stressed? Me?
I'm awake. It's 9:30 AM as I sit to write this. Seriously? 9:30 AM? This is prime sleeping time! I did fall asleep somewhere around 3 AM. So really it's not that big of a deal. But I'd still be asleep if I hadn't been having crazy nightmares.
In my dream it was the wedding day. We weren't at the right location. It was some dumpy looking hotel and yard in the middle of nowhere. No one's there to help me get in my gown. My Uncle Dave isn't there because some estranged family member's kids are acting up so he has to go babysit them. Now I'm freaking out because I don't know who will walk me down the aisle. My jewelry isn't there so I don't have anything to wear. Nothing is on time and no one will tell me what is going on. There was some other chaos going on and it freaked me out and I woke up. Good times.
In reality, I am really stressed out for a number of reasons. Obviously more so than I thought since now I'm having nightmares. I think what I need today is a good day with Mom to just vent and get some grounding. She has a good way of getting me back to normal. I need the proverbial slap in the face to stop my freak-out.
We've been having some difficulty with our printer for our wedding invitations and other stationary. I tried to be really organized and get all the information together in a spreadsheet for her. I labeled everything and added comments and sent her an email with an explanation. She sent me images of the samples through the website. There were a bunch of mistakes. First of all, the names were printed as Mandy & Kevin Withem. Now, what baffles me is that she made the invitations already and had our separate names spelled correctly. I'm sure there are men somewhere that take the woman's last name. But that's pretty unusual I think. So how on earth did she screw that up? Whatever. Easy to fix. There were some other errors. And she didn't understand the addresses I sent her. Or how the names should look. Now, I've written quite a few things. I've taken technical writing courses. I worked with this really great guy at Harper that told me, "Write so a gorilla can do it." Really good advice. I made a training manual for the AV student workers at Harper. I have a pretty good idea of how to be clear and concise. I used Excel for the spreadsheet. Columns and rows were labeled. Tabs were labeled. I don't really understand what the issue was. But somehow she had an issue. Back and forth the emails went. She never gave me her number so I couldn't talk to her over the phone. She works out of Texas so that wasn't going to work either. Finally, yesterday she messaged me and I think all the bugs are worked out. But we'll see. The problem is, I needed to mail these things out the last week of June so people have ample time to plan and what-not since it is technically a holiday weekend. She needs 6-8 weeks to get them done. PROBLEM! Even if I go with another company now there won't be time. So we'll see how these turn out. If they suck I'm sorry. But let's be honest, most people don't keep the invitations anyway. Most people throw them away. Though, I hope you'll recycle them at least. I know some of my family will keep them in scrapbooks, which is really sweet.
BAH!
Anyway, I had my first bridal gown fitting yesterday. It went really well. The length of the dress is pretty good. Val thinks it's a bit short but I have to be honest, I don't care. It's just less likely I'll trip on it. And I'll be wearing some slippers at the reception anyway, so the dress will be a good length then. One of the ushers, Jay, came with me. We had been hanging out at the mall. Let me tell you a little about Jay. He's my brother's best friend. He's basically my other brother. He's a bit of an ass. Definitely interesting. His hair changes more frequently than most women's. If you've met him, you'll recognize him by the barcode tattoo on his neck. And, no, it doesn't actually scan. We've tried. He's a no nonsense kind of guy. He doesn't sugarcoat anything. So I was a little nervous about him being there but also glad. I knew I'd get an honest answer. He was really great. We had a good time and we decided he's my back up if for some reason my bridesmaids can't get me in my dress. He's very knowledgeable about this stuff. Which makes me wonder a little. He's just very well rounded. He is single, ladies, and looking. So the fitting was quick and mostly painless. And more excitingly, inexpensive. YAY!
Things are moving along. Today while my mom is out, I'm going to work on some decoration stuff. Then I'll head over to her house for some much needed down time and venting.
Less than three months. I think we're doing well.
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