We're having a girl!

Well, not "us" persay. But Kevin's best friend (and best man) and his wife (who happens to be due 3 days after our wedding) - they had an ultrasound on Saturday morning and saw her...yay for new bebes!

We are especially excited for them because H was pregnant last year (and would have been due in early May, with twin boys). She lost the boys at five and a half months, big enough where she had to give birth, and had a funeral service. Not that the new baby can take their place, but this is something they have been trying for.

[My personal opinion on them having a baby right now is not quite so rosy. When H was pregnant with the boys, she would have had them and turned 21 a month later. She got married shortly after she turned 19, so I don't really understand their rush to have children, especially when they will tell you they have a hard time paying their bills. And when she has a year and a half left of college and goes on "sabbatical" when we all know she won't go back. Just think it's a little young, that is all.]

ALSO, we got a call from the Alfred Angelo store this weekend, and all the bridemaid dresses that were ordered are in. So on Thursday, when we drive up for the sixth and final bridesmaid to order her dress, I will pick up the other five. I'm pumped about it. And it was less than two months for it to come it. Hopefully Tyler, the hold-out bridesmaid, won't take too long for hers to come in either. Can't wait to see them all together!

Weekend recap:

FRIDAY- took the day off from work and the night off from Wegmans. It was glorious. I cleaned during the day mostly (not very well tho) and went out that evening


SATURDAY - breakfast and outlets with my cousin Tyler and her friend Shannon. I don't really like the outlets that much, mostly because I feel like clothes don't fit me well now and I don't like the shopping. But I did end up with a blue Nine West wallet that was originally $39 for $10 - yay! And they have a Corelle outlet there so I went in to look for my everyday dishes. My mother was planning to buy them for me as a shower gift, but I had found them online @ Target, and shipping was as much as a set of dishes. So I said I would look for them - they had them, and even cheaper than online! I was glad I saw them in person, because I didn't end up liking the ones from online. But I got these, to the right. It's their pattern called "Secret Garden." Of course, I was in the store for approx 1 hour trying to choose...I like the square dishes (but they are more expensive and also the bowls are kind of funny) and I like the modern pattern dishes (but I worry that five years from now they will just look dated and out of style) so I went for a more classic kind of look.

Saturday was also excellent because I got to see KEVIN! For the first time in 3 weeks! I've missed him. I know we talk a lot, but it is so crappy being away all the time. We have never lived in the same city, so I think just knowing that I can see him everyday will be my favorite thing when we get married. We went out to a late lunch together and to Tuxedo Junction to pick out the colors for Kevin and our groomsmen. Then we were just hanging out at my house when Kevin's friend J called. They were headed up to our area for dinner and wanted to know if we wanted to come. We said we ate but would meet them for dessert, or a few beers. So they agreed. About 2 hours later they called for directions from the exit, but added that D, one of the guys, had gotten sick on the car ride. So they came over, we gave them some cleaner and febreeze, ordered a pizza, picked up some beer and just hung out at my house. It was really nice and relaxed. Also, they told us the baby's name....Autumn. Not my favorite (I'm not into the seasons, or months, or days of the week) but its not my kid. If you want to name you baby (born in the winter) after the fall, go ahead...whatever blows your dress up. Kevin was drinking so I was supposed to drive him to his brother's but he ended up just staying at my house in my sister's bed.

SUNDAY - It was my grandfather's 89th birthday, so we had our usual big turkey dinner - his favorite. Then we hung out and ordered ice cream from our favorite place - it was their last Sunday. I always make the list and pick it up...this week we had 13 different things! Had to go out with a bang, right? After that, we had to head to my house because I had to work last night. Kevin started loading the rest of the shower things into his car but his trunk was a mess. Kevin used to work at a pasta factory and got free pasta, which he kept back there. Well at least 2 boxes busted open because I spent 45 minutes shopvac-ing elbows, linguine and penne before he could load up. He left and I was off to work till 11:30, yahoo!

And here we are, Monday morning. Back to the old grind....

Enjoy it!!

How to tell is was a slow week at People:

Their cover is Clay Aiken and his new baby (aw) with a headline that says "Yes I'm Gay"



Well, knock me over with a feather. I don't think I will ever quite recover from this tremendous shock. Suddenly, up is down, black is white...

I wonder how this call went:
Clay: I want to tell everyone I am gay
People: Everyone knows this
Clay: ...oh. Well we can put the baby on there too? Please?

Oh, so it's going to be one of those days, huh?

Muy fantastico.

I have no clean clothes and had nothing to wear today.

I brought a lunch but someone else is feeding us today.

I noticed walking into work that I am wearing brown pants and black shoes.

I called to make an appt with my non-doctor so I can get more BC and therefore not procreate...no appt for months.

Argh...something go right today. I am already jonesing for that pomegranate margarita at Applebee's later tonight. Well, at least that will be something fun - its my high school reunion dinner tonight. I went to an all girls HS, and had a lot of friends that I lost touch with since then. When our paths would cross, we would exchange phone numbers and say "Oh we should get together"...but then never would. Also, since I have been working the two jobs, it is nice to have the day once a month or so when we definitely get together. Tonight should be a small turn-out, but sometimes we get as many at 15.

SO the plan tonight:
--GET STAMPS
--big time laundry and ironing session
--dinner avec mes amis, including my margarita...yummy scrumboes.

Enjoy it!!

Shower Weekend!

This Saturday was the first of my two bridal showers, hosted by my future mother-in-law, Judy. It was a small gathering, about 15 people, at a nice restaurant out in the country (where Kevin in from). Three out of my six bridesmaids were able to make it, and I was very glad for their company. My mom came along as well.

This is me at the shower. Judy made that cake - there is a cluster of flowers on the top, and she got edible glitter stuff so the top looked like snow, for our winter wedding.

These are my bridesmaids, sitting at one of the tables at the restaurant. Hi girls!

Me, opening gifts. This was sort of awkward in general. I don't really enjoy being the center of attention, so everyone watching me while I opened their presents was sort of weird. This one is a Martha Stewart skillet - yay Martha! The standing bridesmaid is my bff Kara, who I have been friends with since we were 5. The seated one is Colleen, who I met at 10 when we moved to our new house.

Here we are, some more gifts. This one was from Kevin's cousin Jen, she gave us a game - Cranium - and a sign that says "Home is where our story begins". I can't wait to have some family games nights in the new apartment!

I have a ton of pictures, but quite honestly they are all of my opening gifts, which is boring, and also, when I am seating I feel like I look like a blueberry in that dress. Oh well.

My mother went out and got the invitations for the shower she is having - there will be about 55 women there. A lot more things to open, oh good heavens. But at least this will be my family (whose names I know because they don't all start with J) and friends. The invitations are super adorable.

These are the invites - you print them out on your own and then there is a little bow and piece of tulle that you stick on it. It is kind of hard to see in the pictures, but they are so sweet.

Also, Saturday night, a huge group of my friends went out and sang karaoke, which was a riot! We were all drunk and ridiculous but it was such a good time. I will definitely be going back there. They had our wedding song there too, which is not a song that is popular or on the radio...perhaps if Kevin was there, he would have been serenaded. Hahaha!

All in all, it was a lovely day and I had a great time. Now, on to the thank you cards...

Enjoy it!

Live every second

The sad fact of life is that sometimes it takes something horrible to make you appreciate just how good you have it.

Sunday morning, there was a 3 alarm fire in a small town about an hour away from where I live. Five people were in the house - mom, dad and 3 young children. The two youngest were trapped in the house and never made it out. The others are in critical condition in an area hospital. They aren't sure that the mother or child will make it. This is my friend Linda's family - her son, daughter-in-law and 3 grandchilren.

I can't even imagine the pain she and her family must be feeling. It makes me sick to my stomach to just think about it. Those poor children must have been so scared. I wish there was something to do, but how can you even comfort someone? What is there to say? I don't know.

Please keep Linda and her family in your prayers - they certainly could use your thoughts at this horrible time.

Sweet Sweet Victory

Apparently the "saving up my Wegmans checks" was all Kevin needed to know I was serious about the king bed situation. And that means...

Victory is MINE!

And it is sooo lovely to think about my glorious new mattress. I mean, it will probably be about another month+ before I can afford it with just Wegmans checks, but there seriously is no rush for the new bed so that is ok.

More backstory on the bed situation:
Up until Sept 1 when we (and by we, I mean Kevin) moved into the new apartment, if we were sharing a bed, it was a twin. And that is no small feat. Kevin is 6', 300+lbs, former offensive line football player. He is a BIG man. And I am not petite by any stretch of the imagination. Short and squat - yes, petite - no.
Now, we don't mind sleeping snuggled up. In fact, we love it. But quite frankly, that might not always be the case. Sometimes it is too hot, sometimes someone is sick, sometimes you are just not in the mood. And therefore - big bed.

So all that is left now is to actually go out shopping for mattresses. Upon the advice of my very wise Aunt Colleen, I have been instructed to wear comfy clothes, shoes that slide off easily, and a stack of post it notes. Her fool-proof system is to simply go around the store, lay down and try them all out. If you like it, stick a post it note. If not, skip it. Then you can go back and eliminate from the good ones. So we have a plan!



Also, last night I went out to dinner with my dear cousin Tyler and had some yummy yummy salmon and a tasty glass of wine. And taught her to knit. She did very well, and I was proud of her. Hopefully she will be able to continue it - she works as a caretaker for a small group home with 3 physically disabled people and would like to make them blankets for Christmas. Personally, it took me from August to December to finish one blanket for my future mother-in-law, but perhaps she will be able to stick with it better than I could. Good luck dear!


Tomorrow is my first bridal shower, given by my FMIL, and I am very excited about it. But also very nervous. Firstly, Kevin's family doesn't have get-togethers very often so I have only met these women approx twice. Secondly, I am awful with names, esp when 3/4 of them start with J. Thirdly, I don't really like all the attention to be on me, so I am glad to have my mother and friends there to help me out. It should be a lot of fun!

Enjoy it!!

Someone else's bed

This week, I have taken to sleeping in my sister's bed. She is spending this semester studying abroad in England (let's not even get into how jealous I am) and therefore, doens't need it. It's not really that it is more comfy - we both have new-ish pillowtops. Truthfully, its because her room is cleaner (as no one has been living there for the past few weeks). And also, I had to surrender my nice big tv to FI for the apartment, and I really miss watching my crappy movies when I go to bed (my personal favorite is Meet Me in St. Louis, with Judy Garland). Emily's computer has a DVD player, so I just pop something in there and fall right asleep. Lovely.

Speaking of beds, I am trying to convince Kevin that we should get a king size bed. Currently, every piece of furniture we have is a hand-me-down, including our mattress. It's not comfy and it hurts my back, so we have been thinking about updating that anyhow. We do not have a bed frame yet (we are so WT) and so I say - Go big or go home! Normally an attitude that Kevin appreciates. But he is a bit worried about the $$ factor. A queen to a king mattress is quite a jump, and clearly (as we have all hand-me-down furniture and a craptastic apt) we are not rolling in it. My thinking here is, if we have to get a new mattress and think we may want a king down the line, we should just get it now. Once we already have a frame and appropriate bedding and all those things, it will be more expensive to switch, should we decide to. So before we have any bed things whatsoever (save the pair of sheets his mom sent him with, and a fuzzy blanket), things we would have to replace, I say - lets get it! So today I decided I am saving my Wegman's checks to go towards that. I pulled up my WebBanking and retroactively saved the last 3 weeks into a different account, plus the one I just got today. As of next week, we will be half way there! Fingers crossed!!

Enjoy it!

One Glorious Hour...

Last night, in between jobs, I squeezed in a little me-time for some pampering. A spa in the area had $10 off pedicures and I made myself an appt. It was SO worth it. I seriously need to do that more often. I haven't had a pedicure since I was going to prom, so it was a long time coming.

When I got there, I sat in the lovely massage chair, and soaked my feet in warm water, with the jets (seriously, I have a goofy grin on my face just thinking about how nice it was). The girl exfoliated, wrapped my feet and legs in warm towels, fixed my toes up nice, one leg at a time. Then there was yummy strawberry lotion, and a little foot massage. And then she painted my toes a lovely champagne color and set me off to dry. It was ah-mazing. Thank you Marissa, you are the best!!

After that I just got to hang out at home for a while, made a yummy quesadilla for dinner, and watched some TLC until I had to go back to work. It was a nice evening.


One a craptastic note, one of my bridesmaids just informed me that she will not be attending my shower in October. She lives out of town, so I knew this would be a possibility - a 5 hour drive is a lot. However, that is not why I am upset. I am upset because of her reason for missing. She is going to Texas to visit another friend instead. Plans she made after knowing when my shower was. So I'm being blown off. Which kind of sucks. I'm trying to be understanding, because she doesn't see this friend often, but when your own bridesmaids are blowing you off (and when your biggest fear about the wedding is that no one will show up), it kind of hurts. Oh well. I am not going to pitch a fit about it or anything, just needed to get it off my chest.

I <3 weekends

I was busy ranting yesterday so I forgot to do my little weekend recap. I did some wedding-related things, so that was good.

Friday - work work work

Saturday - appt with Wegmans florist, which went GREAT. They were so nice, and I really liked the things we saw. We are going to one more place but I'm pretty sure we will stick with Wegmans. The only drawback is that they are so far away. Delivery cost isnt completely unreasonable, but it would be a definite possibility to pick them up if it was closer. We'll see how things go. Then I went out shopping and hung out at home, baked cookies, and had Tracy over to watch a movie - "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" - which we both loved, and which makes up for the craptastic movies we have been picking of late (ie - In Bruges, La Vie en Rose)

Sunday - my mom and I went to a Bridal Show in the area and booked a limo (yay!) I absolutely HATE bridal shows. People go and get all excited about it and I just think they are hot, crowded, loud and I don't like being bombarded by people asking do I have this, that and the next thing. It just stresses me out. So I was glad we were able to get a deal on something, but of course my mom just wanted to hang out and check everything out. OH the other good thing was we stopped at the booth for my photographer, and discussed sites to take pictures. He had some good things to say, so I was glad we were able to stop there (and I was glad we decided to use them - they are a bit pricey, in comparison to pretty much everything else in the wedding, but the pictures are the thing that is most important to me).

Enjoy it!

Confessions of a Grocery Store Check-out Girl

While I have a big kid job, I find myself needing some extra cash these days (weddings and car payments and loan payments and life in general will do this to you). And so for the past 6 months or so, I have been working at a local grocery store. And I have discovered new things (read - pet peeves) about myself since working there...

1.) Do not come through with your basket brimming, set the basket on the belt and then wait for me to unload it. That is not my job. It is yours. I merely check you out. You make my job more difficult and time consuming, and on top of that, Wegmans is the biggest big brother of them all and they TIME YOU for everything. You make me look bad at my job and then I have to have mini sessions with a supervisor about the appropriate way to cash things out.

2.) Never ever EVER ask for double paper. You are just being a jerk and the people who cash you out talk about you after you leave.

3.) Get an appropriate cart for the size of your order. Even if you only planned on buying some bread, you know that isn't all you are getting. Don't come up with your cart piled up like you are a character in a Dr. Suess book and then expect it all to fit back in there once it is bagged. It won't.

4.) Know what you are buying. There are approx. 12 different kinds of tomatoes, or apples or lettuce or whatever it is you need. I have to look them up by a code (since you were too lazy to make the label yourself). When I ask, "Are these the homegrown tomatoes?" the appropriate response is NOT "I dunno, they're $1.49/lb." That does not help me.

5.) Have your ID. If you want beer here, I need ID. I don't care if you look like you died 7 years ago and someone forgot to tell you, we have a 100% proof policy and that means you too. And yes, I am serious about that.

6.) Don't treat your cashier like they are a moron. I don't work at a grocery store because its the best job I can get. I have a college degree and a big kid job. I do this for the extra money, not your attitude. It's groceries, not rocket science.

Ugh, work...

And for the second week in a row, I have 22 hours at the 2nd job, bringing my weekly total to 62 hours... and hence the return of my arch-nemesis, PermaHeadache! Seriously, my brain is aching (hold your snarky comments about how "its thinking, go with it" please...clearly I have an attitude of my own). The girl who used to do the schedule left and there is someone new, who clearly, I need to have a little chat with. Geez, I bet this isn't a conversation they have very often "Mr. Schedule-Writer, I need LESS hours please..."

Also, I am having a dilemma of sorts. I am really struggling about the stupid invitations. On one hand, they are paper products - people are going to lose them and throw them out and so really I don't want to invest too much time/money into them. On the other hand, they are the things that set the tone for the wedding, the first thing people see. And at least before they throw them out, my guests might look and think "wow these look really nice" or "geez, these look like crap." And I want the first one.

Originally I was thinking of doing some pocketfolds on my own - I made a few mock-ups and everything. But in the end, I have limited time (see - first paragraph) and do I really want to put so much into something that will be thrown away? Not really - and it wasn't going to be any cheaper than getting invitations made. Then Joann's started carrying a pocketfold. And its ok. I mean, the whole thing is white, which is not my fave, but I'm sure I could personalize it at least a little bit. Plus, buying them with the 40% off coupon is a huge perk. But then I found the cardandpockets.com website and thought, "oh, no coupon, a little more $$, but it could be exactly how I want it..." So I guess I have to think about it. Have a little chatski with my mom.

So glad today is Friday!! Tenative plans this weekend include an appt with the floral dept at Wegmans, cleaning/laundry (we'll see what actually gets done here), hanging out with my long lost friend Tracy, who I haven't see in ages, to watch some cheesy movies and relax, plus a trip to a bridal show and hopefully getting some huge checks accomplished.

Enjoy it!

**Remembering**

Today is the 7th anniversary of 9/11/01, a day that changed our nation forever. There were planes, disaster, smoke, devastation, ash, twisted metal, and out of it all, heroes. It's so strange to think that it's been 7 years since that day. It has affected so much of how we live our daily lives.

I don't want to pretend that I have all sorts of insight or intelligent things about this, but it is like our generation's defining moment, the thing that teachers will have our kids asking us, "Where were you when...?" like I had to ask my parents, "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" or (for those of us in WNY) "Where were you in the Blizzard of '77?" So this is what I will tell my kids:

I was a junior in high school. I remember I was in my French class, and we were taking a practice Regents exam, to guage what we would need to learn and work on for the big test at the end. We had a new principal that year, and he was ALWAYS breaking over on the intercom, with random thoughts and congratulations, whenever the whim struck him. So when he interrupted class (for the 2nd time that morning), I rolled my eyes and thought, "Now what?"

And then he told us what had happened - a plane had flown into the first tower and we were all to turn on the news. We watched in horror as we saw that now there were two planes, and then as the first tower fell and the tv personalities struggled for words. My friend sitting next to me had been in those those same towers less than a month earlier on her trip to NYC. She started to cry and I held her hand.

We live almost 8 hours from NYC, but at an all-girls school, it was a popular destination. Classes continued - what could we do but continue on? - but many of the teachers instead held discussions about what was going on, different theories on the news.

At home, I was glued to the broadcasts, not wanting to watch, but needing to know more. There had to be an explanation. Who could have done this? I was worried that there would be more to come. We live near an air force base, a national landmark and a huge international crossing site, and people were scared. The thing I remember most vividly is seeing people in some country in the Middle East, dancing and singing at what had happened, and I think that made me feel the most sad out of all the things I saw that day.

Life moved on, flags at half-mast. I got my first job the very next day. There were vigils and also problems - what is known to the nation as the Buffalo 6, is know to WNYers as the Lackawanna 6, an area with a high middle eastern population. Prejudices surfaced, ones people hadn't even realized they had. But things had changed.


Now, even 7 years later, I can't stop myself from reading people's accounts, and looking at the captivating and devastating images taken on that day, and the days the followed. But I also remember how people rushed to give blood, standing in lines for hours because it was what they could do to help. My uncle, a fire fighter, took a group of men to NYC to help out where they could, and to attend the memorials of their fellow fire fighters who hadn't made it.

I know I will remember this forever.

Shopping last night...

...was not the success that one might have hoped for. We didn't end up getting ANYTHING! Kara tried on about a million things, pretty much whatever I had grabbed throughout the different stores, but we didn't end up finding the one. There was a nice dress at JcPenney's that I think was a contender, but we never ended up going back to check it out again. I guess this will be a sloooow transformation of her wardrobe.

At least we learned one thing last night - Kara has NO concept of her size, as she kept telling me to get mediums at NY&Co and they looked about 2 sizes too big on her. But wouldn't try on other sizes. We did find some cute things there, but since my shower is in 9 days, we were really looking for things to wear to that and we didn't find anything for that. Which is kinda stinky as my other two friends/bridesmaids that are going are super-cute dressers and will look cuter than me at my own shower. Crap!

The happy ending to it all was that at this particular mall, there is a Melting Pot (fondue restaurant) and we ended the evening with some yummy melty chocolate and some yummy-scrumbos dippers. And this is why my rear end doesn't fit into my beautiful wedding dress. C'mon Meagan, get some self-control!!

Enjoy it!

Reading Fiend

Last night I finished yet another book!! This one was called "It Had to Be You" by Sarah Webb, about 3 friends in a fictional Irish village. I really enjoyed it and it was an easy read (must have been, I just started it on Sunday). So that brings me to 3 books in the last 10 days. Watch out!

Today I had a one-on-one with my boss, as it has been about 6 months since I started this job. Seeing as tho I am easily distracted - you know, theknot, blogging, wedding nonsense - I was a little nervy. Actually, whenever I have to meet with a boss I am nervy. I know I have been a little distracted here lately, but that is not to say I am a bad employee. Just have a short attention span, and need something to keep me interested. BUT the point....

My boss <3's me. And told me she thinks I've been doing "an amazing job" and she got "nothing but great comments from others about what an improvement I am and how helpful"....score one, Meagan! At my old job, my boss and I were pretty tight and were friendly but this one is a little more distant, so I wasn't entirely sure what she had been thinking. So this was a wonderful compliment.

Tonight I am hanging out with Kara, my oldest friend. We have know each other since kindergarten - my mom has a home video of me telling her about my first day of school and she asks "Who did you sit with on the bus?" and I said "Today I sat with Julianne but tomorrow I am going to sit with my new friend Kara"... and thus the friendship was born. Its been tougher getting together lately, me with my jobs and her with her bf, but we are usually able to get together once a week or so. Which I love. Today, we are going to look for outfits for my shower - its only 10 days from today!!! For my mother-in-law and her friends and family.

Most of them live about an hour from where I do, and its easier for them to have one out that way. Best part - its at a place called Hawley's Lumberyard, which is actually a really nice restaurant (we've been there before) inside a renovated barn that's been there for approx 100 years. So my friends got the invites and were like, "Um, you shower is in a Lumberyard?!" - Kevin is from the country, so you never really know right? Too funny!!

Anyhow, shower outfits! I need something cute and fall-ish, and Kara is trying to revamp her wardrobe, one piece at a time. Let's see how it goes!

Enjoy it!

Right between ouch and boiiiiiing

Yesterday my mom and I went to visit a local florist shop. It is a wholesale place and we've heard a lot of good things, both about her flowers and about her prices. I called early in summer (June, I think) to make an appointment to sit down and talk about different ideas for flowers - I was concerned about what would be available, and not cost a fortune, in the dead of winter. When I called, some snarky little girl said "Um, people don't, like, come in until, like, 4 months before their wedding so why don't you, like, call back then."

Customer service is a HUGE thing for me - if I don't like a person, I don't want to give them my business. So this little interaction would have been enough for me to say "No way, Jose" and look elsewhere, but we had heard so many people say nice things, that I gave it the old college try - one more chance.

This time someone who sounded a little older answered the phone and was very nice. She did explain that there really was no hurry to book right away, she would be available in February and besides that, it was true that the owner didn't like to make appointments until it was closer. I also mentioned how I didn't want to have to be shipping flowers from New Zealand but she said there are plenty of things available in Feb and not to worry. So I figured, if there is no hurry, I guess we can just wait.

Finally we called and got an appointment. I brought pictures of my dress, my bridesmaid dresses, swatches of their fabric and knew both my ceremony and reception site - all the info I was told was needed.

We were sent to sit at a table - there were buckets of flowers all around us, we were meeting pretty much in her warehouse - nothing fancy here. She came over to the table (no introduction) and just sat down and said "So you're Meagan" and launched into the questions.

While we were getting ideas about the flowers, she was very helpful and even put a little mini arrangement together, one of each flower, so we could see what they looked like together. I only want bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres...no flowers for centerpieces, no huge arrangements. White and pale pinks for me, white for the girls.

At the end, she brought back the flowers for me, said "Ok, if you do decide to go with us, send $50 check to this address and we'll have a meeting in February" and walked away. No "Thank you for coming down", no "nice to meet you" didn't walk us to the door, just turned and walked away from us. I couldn't believe it. And the estimate....stings a little. People we have met with in regards to the wedding have been so polite and gracious, you know, acting like they WANT our business, I guess I was just a little put off by her lack of manners.

So, for my bouquet, 6 bridesmaid bouquets, Kevin's boutonniere, 6 groomsmen boutonnieres, 4 boutonnieres (our dads, my grandpa and my godfather) and 11 corsages (our moms, my granmothers {2}, my great-aunt, our godmothers, Kevin's aunt, and 3 readers), plus, at my mother's insistence, 2 altar arrangements and 1 blessed mother bouquet, the grand total was $941.78 + tax..... ooh, that smarts.

When I told Kevin, I heard the sharp intake of breath. And I agree...that was a LOT of money for flowers, not even including any centerpieces or the like. And I think I can do WAAAY better. I need to discuss specific # of flowers for bouquets so we can try and get a more reasonable estimate. And I am definitely not going back there. I want to try Wegmans, I may even be able to get a discount because I work there. The store that usually does weddings is across town, but I think we can work it out.

Perhaps I need to pick different flowers for the bridesmaid bouquets. I guess I'm not too picky about them, but I prefer a full rounded, but uniform kind of look. As the example, she put hydrangea and roses with a mini calla (which I could have or not, either way doesn't make a difference to me). I also wanted some stephanotis (my mom had this in her bouquet). I dunno....just seemed like a lot to me. We do have SO many people tho. Someone suggested that instead of giving corsages to the grandmas etc we could just give single flowers. We shall see.

Ooh, on the way home, we stopped at the place where we might do pictures after the wedding. It's VERY nice inside, my only concern is that it may be too dark. Something to discuss with the photographer. The upside to using this place is there is usually a charge, but our friends know that woman who does the bookings and she said we could have it for free. Yahoo!

Enjoy it!!

Good book

For once, a weekend that wasn't completely packed full...*sigh* it was loverly.

Friday night, I was mysteriously off from Wegmans (which NEVER happens on a Friday) so I wanted to go up to the apartment and hang out with Kevin. Of course, my parents were having massive issues with this as we are not married. And kept saying, "It's KEVIN's apartment" to which I reply "MY name is on the lease. And I paid the rent this month. And the cable! It's my apartment too." But whatever. My dad said there was a good possibility that my stuff would be at the curb when I came home on Sunday (which I knew wasn't true but I was a little concerned about the cut off from wedding funding). But I wanted to go this weekend, because now I won't be able to see Kevin until the weekend of Sept 27 - almost 3 weeks!!

Anyhow, I went to the apartment and it was fine. Kevin made me dinner (one of those pouches that you dump in a pot - chicken parm) and we just relaxed.

Saturday morning we went out to breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal and there is a fab diner by Kevin's house in the sticks that we love to go to, so now we have to find a place near the new apartment. Let me tell you, the place we went was NOT it. Not that it was horrible, it just wasn't our normal diner experience. BUT in the same plaza I also got to go look at the puppies. I need a puppy... everytime we go to a pet store, I pick out the one I like and give it a name. But we just can't have one right now. Sad face. Also on Saturday, we went looking for recliners. Kevin's been pining after one for a while now but grossly underestimated how much one would cost. We went one place and found one he liked and it was $1100 + $119 delivery fee. Holy crow! Also, we tried out a Mexican restaurant nearby - it was ok, I got chicken quesadilla (which is my fave) but it needed a little more flavor, perhaps some Franks hot sauce lol. And watched a movie. And grocery shopped so we could make breakfast the next day lol.

Sunday I made pancakes and we hung out for a while, enjoying the cool tv with the lovely digital cable and the extra lovely (and my favorite) DVR. Then I had to go home - I went straight to my grandmother's and helped her get ready for dinner and then everyone was over and we had some yummy-scrumbos pork chops and applesauce and potatoes. Delish! And my aunt was helping me knit. I like to knit but I am slow. I'm telling you, she could have finished my whole scarf in an hour. I'll finish it in 2 months.

BEST PART of this weekend - I read a book, a whole book in like 3 days. It was so so good. Called "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" by Elizabeth Berg. She is a wonderful writer if you like something sweet, with just a little bit of sad added in. I've read another one of her books called "Dream When You're Feeling Blue" set around WWII. Excellent! Seriously, if you're looking for an easy read, try these out. They are excellent.

Ahh, vacation...

I had a glorious time off! Let's recap, shall we?

Friday - WORK! Seriously, I worked 7:30am-4pm, and then 6pm-2:30am...I am a glutton for punishment.

Saturday - Family picnic. I got a lot of "So when is the big day?" and "Where IS he?" Kevin was coming back from his week of working in Canada, and was not able to come and visit my lovely family. Also, got one of these "You're getting married?! You're younger than me!"...not really sure how to respond to that.
Poor Kevin got stuck at the border for over an hour - apparently they were having some sort of a malfunction with their radiation sensor because about 5 cars in a row got detained and then let go at the same time. Glad everything worked out ok.

Sunday - Spraypainted my ugly lamps. First with a textured paint to cover up the ugly, etched in butterflies. Then with a metallic silver. They turned out very nice, if I do say so myself. I didn't take any pictures, but maybe I will remember this weekend. The only before picture I have is on my cell, but I need to show the difference. I will try and figure it out.
Post spray-painting, I went to my grandmother's house and had a labor day picnic with the other side of the family. Then on to a birthday party for my friend and finally home to bed.

Monday - Woke up super early (5am) and couldn't sleep - my tummy hurt :( so I put on a movie for a while and finally fell back asleep. Woke up for real around 8 and right away showered and got dressed because it was MOVING DAY!! My dad went and talked to the U-Haul people and instead of picking up a 10' truck at 12:15, we got a slightly bigger 14' truck at no extra charge at 10am. So we picked that up, went to my one aunt's house and collected our kitchen table and chairs, and couch. Then back to my house to get the 3 wingback chairs, lamps, side tables, BIG tv, kitchen supplies, and vacuum. My dad went to Kevin's parents house where they added on a mattress and box spring, Kevin's computer, a desk and a night stand. (Kevin had already moved all the stuff from his old apartment to the new place so that was all there). Then we all met up at the new apartment and started lugging things up the stairs. Luckily they were very WIDE so it wasn't too difficult (it was especially not too difficult for me as my dad and Kevin did most of the moving lol). My parents dropped off the truck on their way home and left Kevin and I to set things up. Kevin filled the one bedroom with all his things from the old apartment/room, so that would be his project for another time. Our bedroom wasn't very hard to set up as the only things we have are a mattress and a boxspring lol. Actually, we don't have a TON of stuff, so it didn't really take that long to empty anything or set things up. But its definitely a work in progress. We went out to dinner to celebrate and then to Target to stock up on some things.

Tuesday - Kevin had to work, but I had off so I got a good-bye kiss and got to sleep for a while longer. It was a slow day because I was hanging around the apartment for the gas and electricity to be set up. The guy was supposed to call 20 mins before he was coming, so I was just hanging out all day, with no cable and nothing to do. Actually, we got this shelf thing to put in the bathroom but I got stuck and I didn't want to ruin it, so I just left it for Kevin lol. I met up with Kevin for lunch (still no phone call). I watched approx a million movies. When Kevin came home we finished setting up the shelf. We made dinner and started talking about our "Hard Questions." Then ice cream and yet another trip to Target to get some other things we thought about. Lovely evening with my hunny bunny.

Wednesday - Kevin got up and went to work again, and I slept a while longer. I got up and ready around 8, on the road by 8:30 for home. I had lunch plans with my grandmother, but she had gone out to breakfast so instead we met up with my aunt and her two boys (8 & 6) for ice cream after the first day of school. After that, I went out to dinner with my friend Kara. We had Olive Garden - yummy! and then stopped and got some cardstock so I could start my "wish" cards for the reception. I got a dark green and a light green and used my embosser to put our initial in the corner. It turned out very cute, simple but elegant.
Oh oh oh, last night I watched America's Next Top Model and this is shaping up to be a good season. Very bold personalities. Seriously, Tyra is a complete trainwreck and I can't help myself. I am so glad tv is coming back - there is nothing on in the summer. Also, now that we have DVR at the apartment, I can have Kevin tape my shows and I can watch them when I get a chance later on. Yahoo!

And now, back to work.....blah

Enjoy it!!