Ok, I'm back

So I've been a huge slacker lately, but cut me a break - I got married, went on a honeymoon, moved to a new city, and started a new job (that does not require me to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day). Lame, I know, but its the truth.

So, as a quick update of all wedding related happenings.

Thursday night my girlfriends and I went out and had a blasty-mcblasterson. We hit up the Chocolate Bar for some delish (if a little 'spensive) martinis and desserts. Of course, someone ordered the obligatory phallic one (you know, banana in the middle, two shot glasses on the sides, topped with whipped cream....oh man). Then we went across the street to another club (where we snuck in my underage sister by merely saying "She forgot her id"...they don't stop bachelorette parties!). Last stop of the evening was Marcella's for the drag show - ah!mazing!!!

Friday night we had rehearsal, which went smoothly and then the dinner which went not so smoothly, when I had to miss out on the first hour of it when my friend's lame bf didn't get gas so they ran out on the 3 mile drive over there. And instead of calling AAA, called me and basically put it on me to handle it. All in all, I was a bit sleep-deprived and nerved up, and a whole lot crankier than I should have been. We both handled it a little wrong and it was fixed later that night. Rawr - bridezilla rears her ugly head!!

My friends came over and we hung out and did nails and primped, and we went to bed pretty early - you know, big day the next morning!

I got up around 7:30 and jumped in the shower, put on my Mrs. Newlastname hoodie and just hung out. Friends got there an hour later (with food!!) and the first group went off to the salon to get their hairs did at 9. Next, final two bridesmaids and I headed out there, and the others came home to have their make up done by my very talented friend Meg. My mom was basically running around like a chicken with her head cut off, dropping off flowers to the church and picking up my dress from where we had been storing it. She also decided that my veil had gotten a little crinkled and tried to re-iron it, but forgot she had turned up the temp and ironed a hole in it. And started to cry. Which I felt horrible about, because it really was no big deal - it was NOT an expensive veil, we got it from JoAnn Fabrics for about $14, it was two layers and the hole was on the bottom and you couldn't even see it. If it was really *that* bad, we could have gotten a new one. But no one saw, no one said anything and it was just fine. Mini-crisis averted.

By noon, I was all dolled up and my mom and friends were helping me to get dressed for the photog who was coming at 12:30. He was a bit early and all the girls ran up to get dressed too (I was stuck in the living room and was completely forbidden from moving or sitting). They girls came down (and looked beautiful!! its unfair how amazing they looked!) and the photog started snapping away. The limo came and picked us up, and my mom rode over with us - her first ride in a limo.

Then came the tough part - waiting! I was very calm all morning. Quite frankly, I was impressed with myself - I am a HUGE micromanager and I kept it cool and relaxed the whole day. But when we showed up and people were walking in, I just wanted to get out there and visit instead of waiting to be seen. My two little cousins stopped on the limo to say hi, and check it out. Oh and my friend Kara (the smallest girl in the party turned out to be the enforcer!) snagged my two cousins, Ryan and Brendan, and roped them into being my "door-openers" for my grand entrance. The conversation went a little something like this:

Kara: Ryan! RYAN! Can you and Brendan open the doors for Meagan when she walks down the aisle?
Ryan: Do I want to do this?
Kara: No no no, let me repeat myself, because perhaps I wasn't clear. You HAVE to open the doors for Meagan when she walks down the aisle.

When I finally walked into the back vestibule, I was a bundle of nerves. My friend's mother was standing back there, just waiting to watch me and I teared up a little bit. But I kept myself composed because 1 - if I started crying, I didn't know if I would stop 2 - I loved my make up and I didn't want to ruin it and 3 - I am NOT a pretty cry-er and I didn't want to mess up pictures.

When the music changed (to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" which was PERFECT), my cousins opened the doors and we walked down. At first, I couldn't see Kevin, he was sort of hiding behind people, but then there he was. And he was a crying mess. So see? One of us had to hold it together! Then the music stopped, and we were on the altar.

The ceremony went so quickly. A couple of "I do"s and suddenly we are married. It was a little anticlimatic for me, because we didn't actually say our vows. But everything was so beautiful. Then we walked out, did a little victory dance and lined up for the receiving line. I couldn't believe how packed the church was - there were SO many people! It was great to see everyone, and I was so happy, I was hugging and kissing everyone! Then we lined up for pictures inside the church.

After that, we headed out to a local art gallery - they have this huge set of stairs and columns, and no matter what time of year, it is always pretty there. We got some great shots and then it started to snow, just very softly. Kevin and I got some together with the snow and we were off. The limo driver was apparently unfamiliar with the area and took us the most long, convoluted way back but it was fine. We got to our inside photo destination - a funeral home. I know, it sounds weird. But they have this great spiral staircase and the pictures turned out awesome.

At this point, I'm fed up with the limo driver - I gave them addresses, and he was NOT using them, just plugging in general ideas in his GPS. We were only about 1 mile from our banquet hall. He actually would have only needed to make 2 turns, less than 5 minutes. Instead of listening to what we were saying, he took us 10 minutes out of the way and got all turned around. So I was pretty angry about that. But I guess if the driver was my only problem (and I knew that getting into it, because as soon as I booked them I started hearing bad things about that company) then I guess I am pretty well off.

The reception was gorgeous - I had to pee when I got there which was a HUGE production. But then I got out there and was able to visit and get some munchies. We got introduced - which was a HUGE rush - and then cut the cake. Dinner was served, my dad said a quick blessing and the toasts were given. The Best Man did a nice job, but my sister totally showed him up. She did hers completely off the cuff, talked for about 1 minute and had the whole room in tears. I was so proud of her. Dinner was amazing and then we got out there to visit tables. I only made it to about 8 (we had 24) before the dj told us it was time for the first dance. I found Kevin and we headed out on the floor. It was so sweet - he sang the words to our song and I was melting. I danced with my dad, also a master of surpressing emotions (just like me!) so he just kept saying "Nice song!" haha. Kevin and his mother danced, and she cried of course. She was blubbering the whole day.

After that, I danced and danced and danced. They played my Elvis song and Kevin came right out and found me to dance. He also did the hokey pokey. Then he pretty much retired from dancing. But I was like a machine. I had my flats on and I was ready to go. Then, all of the sudden it was time to go and we were dancing the last dance. I had such an awesome time!! But man was I pooped!

We went back to my house and dropped off my dress and Kevin's tux. Grabbed our bags and headed out to the hotel. We had to leave super early the next morning, our flight was scheduled for a 5:50am departure, so by the time we got to bed at 1:30am, we basically took a nap. Out legs were SO tired, it was hard to get up and go, but we made it into JFK with time to spare and got right on to Antigua.....

Tying up loose ends...

Today is the last day at my big kid job. After this I have a week off to prep and finish all my little projects, get primped and pampered and beautified, and then that is it - the wedding day and off to a lovely week in Antigua.

The girl I have been training has been out sick for the last three days, so today I am trying to get everything together for her and make sure I leave her some good notes.

It is SO nice knowing that I don't have to drive downtown anymore. I love to think about how I don't have to plan my weekends out months in advance according to what is going on with the wedding, when I am working and when I can see Kevin - I can see him everyday!

But I am really going to miss my friends here. The ladies at the office have basically planned the whole wedding with me, and I have loved their insights and advice. I just hope I am lucky enough to meet new friends at the new place.

I still can't even wrap my head around the fact that the wedding is in 8 days. EIGHT. A week plus one.

ENJOY IT!

Nightmare

OMG i just woke up from the worst dream ever and I am just typing it out right now before I forget all the horrible things that went wrong. First of all, we have this really lovely banquet hall, and when I walk in, it just has 4 long tables that stretch the entire length of the room. My dress has patches on it like it is some girl scout sash. My bridesmaids never went to get their dresses altered and are being held together by straight pins, and my friend Kara's skirt keeps falling down. They are not even in the right color, but someone is also randomly wearing a brown top. We are about to do introductions, but only the girls are in the back and people are leaving already. Kevin is still sitting at a table with his buddies, drinking, so I peek out to see what is going on and there are only about 50 people left (we invited 250). Someone handed me a bottle of dark rum, and it spilled all over the front of my dress. So I go to the bathroom to try and clean it up - which looks remarkably like the bathrooms in a grammar school - and the more I try to clean it up, I get up that little spot, but make a bigger mess of it. Then suddenly I realize - THIS IS NOT EVEN MY DRESS!!! It has this ugly burnt orange/brown/poop colored trim on it. And just as I sit down on the bathroom floor and started to cry, I woke up.

You win some, you lose some

So this weekend was interesting - I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more, filled a couple of boxes to send with Kevin to the apartment and filled up garbage bags and a recycling bin full of junk. My mom, her friend Mrs. Q and I worked on favors. I went to the baby shower for Heather, the Best Man Justin's wife. I didn't know anyone there and Kevin's ex ended up sitting next to me, but she was fine, friendly even, so I guess that worked out ok.

I had a FANTASTIC Monday morning - I was in an amazing mood because Kevin came to pick me up at work and we went to get our marriage license. Any excuse to see Kevin is a good one. But this was SO exciting. Of course Kevin was all, "*grumble grumble* don't know why there aren't lines on the roads *grumble mumble* signs to mark the one-way streets *grumble*"...he doesn't enjoy driving downtown haha.

Here we are, marriage license in hand...

After work, I headed out to the dress shop to pick up my dress - so exciting. And then my day his a low point. I slipped on some ice in the parking lot and fell. I skinned my knee and bruised up my hands. Big old dummy. After I washed my hands and bandaged my knee (thankfully I didn't rip my new pants!), I headed in to try on the dress for the last time before the wedding. My dress has a chiffon overlay on it, and its longer than the actual dress. And to me, it looked like the hem on one side was higher than the other, and there was what looked like two little snags on the front of the chiffon and I didn't love the whole bustle, but its just a litle too late now. Plus, right now we were really scrutinizing it, which no one will be doing the day of, and they weren't things you would see in pictures.

The dress is living at my great aunt's right now, so that it won't get ruined here... I just realized that I paid for a crinoline but I don't know if I took it home (wrapped with the dress) or not....I will have to check with my mom, since she had the dress in her car.

I worked till midnight tonight. Work at 7:30 tomorrow morning, then a meeting with the music director at church tomorrow at 4:30. Then hopefully finishing cleaning and maybe doing some nothing, because I'm hitting a rough patch.

Enjoy it!!

Please Mr. Postman

I have been having the most excellent luck with my mail lately. RSVPs are slowly trickling in, including the ones that have been delivered to wrong addresses. But that is not what I am talking about. I have been ordering things online, wonderful wedding things, and they are finally starting to arrive.

Friday I got the handkerchiefs I ordered. And the brooch. Then got my personalized napkins (and yes, I know how ridiculous this is, and yes I know they will be thrown out, but they are flippin' adorable and I need need needed them). And my lovely VistaPrint business cards with my new contact info on them, including email, cell and mailing address (and my new last name - squee!). And the cutest little knit hat for the baby shower on Sunday.

Then yesterday, the best thing, the lovely unity candle holder that I ordered. I looooove ordering things online. When they show up, it is like Christmas. Best of all, I can go shopping any time, day or night, even at work (although this is not recommended). Thank heavens for internet shopping!

My adorable napkins

They say "Eat, Drink and be Married" with our names and the wedding date

The little hat I got on Etsy from seller pdxbeanie, who I highly recommend

I don't have a baby doll around the house,

so i put it over a snow globe to get the effect haha

Enjoy it!

She works hard...

for the wedding, so hard for it honey! Ok sorry with my spontaneous outbursts....

But seriously - why does "Its YOUR day" translate into "do an obscene amount of work for the next year or so and stress yourself out about everything from your vendors to the cake to making sure that your exact shade of green is used in all aspects of your ceremony and reception"?

I've really been getting a lot done lately and I'm pretty darn proud of myself. Tonight I have a meeting with the photographer at 4:30 and then Kevin and I are *finally* meeting with the priest at 6:30. Thursday I have a meeting with our venue at 4:45. I am so glad that I am doing these meetings. As I mentioned to my photographer, I feel like the biggest slacker bride - I worried about booking all the major vendors and then just basically said "we can worry about details later..." So I guess that later is....well, now!

Of course, I asked my mom about how she liked all the stuff I got done this weekend. Programs? "Eh, they're nice." How about the favors, mom? "I don't like how the ends stick out. And there's no way you could have done this on darker paper?" What do you think of the gift I got for Heather's shower? "You spent too much money."

So I guess there really is no pleasing everybody.

Oh well....


Enjoy it!

Baby you can have whatever you like

SO I had a VERY successful weekend. I didn't get everything on my list done, but I am still really happy with what I did get done. First I went out and did a couple of errands.

The first stop was Joann Fabrics, where I got 4/6 of the votive candles I needed - they came in packages of 24 for $4.99 and I needed 6, but there were only 4 on the shelf and none in the back :(. I also got white and silver gel pens to use with our Wish Jar.

Next stop was right across the street - Babies R Us. Now, don't go getting any ideas - it's for our Best Man's wife. She is having a shower next Sunday and I figured I may as well stop while I am out. I made a baby blanket for them - its lavender, white and baby pink - and I also ordered an adorable little crocheted hat for them. Obviously it a girl! Heather is due 3 days after our wedding so I am hoping that she either goes early or holds out past the 21st because I would (selfishly) like our Best Man to be at the wedding...

Finally (because I was getting frustrated with humanity at this point) I stopped at Target. I picked up a whole ton of stuff, including 2 new pairs of sunglasses (because I lose them ALL THE TIME), a bunch of supplies for my wedding day bag, Crest whitestrips and whitening toothpaste, a new Biore face mask, and a cute little cupcake Valentines Day card to send to my goddaughter Hayden in Florida.

Then it was time to get down to work. I fiddled around on the computer trying to come up with a design for the cover of my program. Then I had to go out and get it copied at my fave place ever - Office Max. Unfortunately my favorite copy lady was not in (and therefore I did not get my lovely little discount). However, the guy that was there was able to help me with a couple things, so I was glad for that.

I had been texting all day with a local girl on The Knot from the message board we both belong to, so we decided to get together for dinner at a place at the mall. So I went home and got my face on and headed out. I met Maureen and her friend Kim outside the restaurant and we had a great time. Dinner was delicious (as were the martinis and the dessert) and I was so glad to have a break from my crafting marathon.

I got home around 10pm and started folding papers for my programs, while watching Father of the Bride (of course). I've always loved this movie, but it is so much more poignant and meaningful watching it from a soon-to-be (emotional) bride's perspective. And I must tell you, I am oh so envious of how Annie and Nina get along. My mother and I have really hit a rocky road where we are just NOT speaking the same language to each other and it has really been taking a toll on our relationship. Hopefully this is something we can get back on track once the frustration of the wedding is over with.

Because it was freezing and I have no idea how to work thenew thermostat, I went up to be after I finished folding. When I got up in the morning, I got right back into it. Almost.

First I made some mini-muffins, you know, for sustenance. And I also got to use my adorable silicone heart shaped pan, so that was a plus. I found a great recipe online that I was really happy with - normally, my muffins turn out very dry, but using the suggestions left by other reviewers, they came out moist and delicious. More on that at a later date.

Then it was on to tackle the programs - I had to cut the designs out first. Then I found the Top Model marathon on Oxygen, tuned in and zoned out while I attached all 125 of them. Which took less than an hour - super fast!

Shower - quick stop at Office Max again for copies of candy bar wrappers, that will also double as escort cards (my fave part about this was because I only needed them cut exactly in half, I could have the guy who worked there do it and it was only $1.09 and saved me at least 2 hours worth of work) - dinner with my grandma and family. My Aunt Sandy helped me (finally) finish off my blanket by showing me how to hide all my lose strings.

Back at home, I brought out the glue and crystals and started working on my bridesmaids gifts - personalized tote bags. I did their initial in crystals and I have to say, I'm really happy with how they turned out. This was definitely a budget project.

And now for the pictures:

This is the cover of the programs. I only did the outside

because I am a slacker and I don't know what readings or musci we are having yet.

This is a close-up. It says:

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale

My candy bar favor/escort card wrappers. They have our monogram and say:

Thank you for sweetening our day. Love and kisses from the Mr. and Mrs.

This is the gift for Heather's baby shower. I got a diaper changing caddy,

complete with diapers, wipes, Boudreaux's Butt Paste, baby powder,

q-tips and one of those things that sucks the boogies outta babies' noses.

Although it looks like a pillow, this is the blanket I made for Baby Autumn.

Its all folded up and lovely, so hopefully Heather will like it

Here's one of the bags I made - K for Kara

2 Ts - Tyler and Tracy


2 Cs for Carolyn and Colleen

And an E for Emily

All in all, I think I did really well this weekend and I hope I can just keep it moving!

**UPDATE - I forgot a few things...I also got in the handkerchiefs I ordered for me, my mom and Kevin's mom, and both my grandmothers. With this came a lovely brooch that I will put on my bouquet. I also ordered a stand for my unity candle and got two white tapers to finish it off. And I ordered little business cards with my contact info to give all my work buddies so we can keep in touch after I move.**

Enjoy it!

Anatomy of a Weekend

Ah the weekend…a gift from the gods as a reward for the feeble toiling we do all week locked in an office and chained to a desk. So why is it that my weekends have not been restful since the time Kevin and I got engaged?? Ah me, at least there are only 29 days left of this madness!! Squeeeee!

So anyhow, here is the big to do list for this weekend:

Friday:
- Make up a mock program and mock favor wrapper so I can go have copies made
- Trace monogram onto aisle runner

Saturday
Purchases:
- Silver and black pens for the Wish Jar
- Flip flops for the bridesmaids (Sizes 6/8/8/9/10/10)
- 130 white unscented votive candles
- Hershey bars for favors/escort cards (approx 240)
- Supplies for Wedding Day Emergency kit ( Tylenol / pepto / clear nail polish / hair spray / bobby pins / safety pins / band aids / Nos / ????)
- CD holders to organize DVDs and reduce the clutter

Make:
- Paint aisle runner (carefully this time!)
- Make copies of monograms for programs and wrappers for favors
- Fold papers for programs
- Mount monograms on lt green paper, attach to outside of programs
- Make crystal monograms for bridesmaid gifts
- Iron on “bride” appliqué for my white tote.

Misc:
- Figure out what pictures to use for the cardbox
- Clean and pack my room (we’ll see how this goes)

I am also *hopefully* getting together with a local knottie, for what I don’t know yet. Wish me luck on getting through all this! Hopefully I will have a good report and plenty of pictures on Monday ; )

Enjoy it

Bachelorette Pictures

Ok, so here are all the pictures from this past weekend....read the previous post for more details!

Here is my sorry behind, sleeping at the bar after a very long day on Friday...

All dolled up on Saturday night

Again

Showing off my ring...which was pretty much the best thing ever.

It was large, in charge and lit up. What more could a girl ask for?

Me and my hetero lifemate, Carolyn - one of my bridesmaids


I <3>


So does Carolyn


And Kelli....

And Meg

Cheers! One more month and Bud's a married woman!


See, we are lovely when we try real hard

Practicing our Cupid Shuffle, for all the music and dancing later...
you have to warm up, you know!

At the Pig - why hello there, drunk eyes.

So nice of you to make an appearance tonight.

I'm sure its not the last we'll see of you...

Eyes OPEN

Meghan has ridiculously long femurs and is always squatting in our pics....very flattering

My fave Fishies

(minus my friend and fave nurse, Kelly, who had to work this weekend)

Carolyn and Meghan

Kelli and Carolyn

Me, riding the bull

Clearly, this is not going well...

AHHHH!!! Get me off this thing!

Yay! Me and Cair again! Love this lady

Apparently my drunk eyes come out when these two are around

Obviously, Kelli lives in a tanning bed, and since my people shun the sun and my grandfather was Casper the friendly ghost, I'm making her look a lot tanner

Me, Carolyn, Meg, Kelli and Julia (who we ran into in the bathroom)

Sneaking up

I can't believe how quickly the time is going, now that we are getting down to the end. I'm sorry that all my posts lately have been about the wedding, but I seriously don't have time for ANYTHING else.

Wedding checks:
--We booked a DJ! FINALLY! With a mere 41 days to go, we finally called and booked someone
--My friend sent me the enlarged pieces to my aisle runner, so I can start working on that tonight
--I decided I am going to put my monogram on the front of the programs, so I shrunk it to the right size and set that up. Once I get a new color ink cartridge I can print one out and take it to be copied. Oh, and I ordered the paper I need to work on this!
--I have delegated the making of the card box to my very handy father, so hopefully he will start working on that and then I can finish it
--I went in for a fitting so my dress is being hemmed and bustled (European style) and I also have a crinoline now.

And then there is my mother. She still needs a dress. And we do not agree. She likes this very simple dress, which is a very nice dress but looks like you are wearing a business suit but with a long skirt. And I like another dress she tried, that is a little more flashy and a little more of a "gown" rather than a "dress-suit". I just thought she would want something a little more dressed up than what she is liking right now. I know she wants that first dress but she wants me to like what she is wearing, so she doesn't want to get it. So I don't know. Because I am not going to like it any better. But if that is what she wants, then fine. She needs a dress and we are waiting too long as it is.

ALSO, speaking of my mother and sneaking up....it's her 50th birthday today! SO Happy birthday Mom! Love you, even if you like boring dresses.

Enjoy it!

Great Success

SO I made it to the dress shop, this time with my shoes, and had a successful first fitting. So all I need as far as alterations go is to hem the dress and add a bustle. I did not like the first bustle that she added because it pulled the extra fabric on top of the dress and kind of added some extra weight to my butt, an area that certainly does NOT need any extra volume. So instead we decided on a European style bustle, where the extra fabric is gathered underneath the dress. 

Also, I called Lillian, our AAA travel agent, and paid the balance on our honeymoon. So we are officially booked for Antigua. Be jealous. This will be our first vacation together and I cannot wait! For serious. A week of beaches, sun, relaxation, and swim up bars. Woohoo!

I'm just so so glad that we are getting some of these things off the check list. Hopefully tomorrow my parents are going out to listen to the dj and then we can (finally) book him and be done with it.

Enjoy it!!

Dress Fitting FAIL

Well, I made it 20 of the 25 minute drive out to the dress shop and then realized I FORGOT MY SHOES! Which means...no dress fitting. As the lady so snippily told me. Yes, I know that, thank you. If I didn't live 25 minutes away and it wasn't rush hour, I could go back and get them and be fine. But that is not the case.

Oh well, I tried the dress on anyway and I still love it. I was a little worried because I thought I might change my mind on it (its been 6 months since I've seen it) and a lot worried about my shelf @ss fitting into the dress. It's still not where I would like it to be, but the girl laced it all the way up and it was better than the last time - so I guess its really crunch time now.

ALSO - I found jewelry. Its very simple and almost more casual, but I would definitely be able to wear them again. And on the way home, my mom and I stopped at David's Bridal and started looking at some dresses for her...and we're going back out again tomorrow!

So, this is it. Of course I'm not all tall and willowy

like the model on the Maggie website, but I like it just the same.

With a veil

Again

This is the one embellishment on the dress.

Its simple and sophisticated, and this just adds a

little whimsy/vintage. I sound like I am describing wine haha

47 days!!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe it is getting so close. Really I feel like the time has been draaaaaagging by, because we've been planning this since Dec 2007. But since Thanksgiving, everything has been SO busy and So rushed that time has just been running by.

The dress is in and paid for. My first fitting is tomorrow, hopefully my butt will fit in the dress (not likely after the amount of nonsense I ate between Christmas and New Years, but a girl can dream, right?).

The honeymoon will officially be completely paid for as of Thursday Jan 8th. This may be my favorite part of the whole planning process so I am pretty excited about that! I have seriously considered starting to pack, since its summery clothes and bathing suits, both of which I am definitely NOT wearing in the snow haha.

Invitations finally made it out on Dec. 31 and I could not be more thankful. I have about 10 stragglers left where I was missing one thing or another, or they weren't on the original list and I hadn't properly tuned my ESP to read my mom's mind. BUT we should be getting RSVPs in today and I am SO excited about it. Like I've said before, I thought I would end up calling people to invite them to the wedding, so this is a huge relief.

Big checks still left:
** Get my mother a dress!! She hasn't even gone into a store to look yet. Thanks mom, guess you'll be wearing that same tired navy blue pants suit that you wear to everyone else's wedding**

**Talk to the priest about readings and music**

**Work on programs. I can't do the text w/o the priest, but I could definitely work on the outside covers**

**Get a veil and a crinoline for the dress. And figure out my old, new and borrowed items**

**Find jewelry and hairpins**

**Design and print favor labels - we are doing a Hershey's bar and on the wrapper will be a little monogram and a place to write the guest's name and table # - mutli purposing!**\

**Get the rest of the supplies for the centerpieces - about 26 bowls, 130 votive candles and 80 floating candles**

**Find a cake topper that had no lace or heart and doves and looks like US**

**Buy a wish jar**

**Make a card box**

**Paint my aisle runner**

**Get table #s**

**Get our marriage license**

**Finish up the bridesmaid gifts for my girls**

**HIRE A DJ**

Hopefully I'll be able to start checking a LOT of stuff off this list soon...

Enjoy it!!

I have the best friends in the whole world.

Yesterday, in the midst of my breakdown (you know, the one about how nothing would be done for the wedding and all that jazz) I sent an email to my friend Kelly:

I am having a huge freakout. It just hit me yesterday exactly how little time I have left and I have SO much to do and how will I finish it all. I have no time. I have a huge ass and no time. My heart has been racing and my stomach has been hurting since last night. I am at work and all I can think about is how much more needs to be done and how I have NO time to do it.

Somehow I got so wrapped up in work that I completely missed the reply. I read it this morning and started crying again....but in a good way (damn hormones!):

My Dearest Meagan,
From my own experience I have had my share of breakdowns....this is how I have handled them
1. Alcohol
2. Counseling
3. More alcohol
4. Venting to friends
5. Still more alcohol
6. A 10 hour drive to virginia
7. Act like a psychopath
8.Pizza logs

everyone is different.....u have a good head on ur shoulders....no need for counseling, cross country traveling, or loss of sanity.....however alcohol, friends, and pizza logs are always nice....i can supply all 3, anytime, anywhere

your are preparing for one of the biggest transitions in your life....anyone would b nervous...anyone would want it to b perfect.....u knew u loved kevin before u knew him....it was always real, even i believe that and i kno u do and this means that regardless of who sits at what table, how good the music is, if the flowers are on time, what anyone looks like, what ANYONE ELSE THINKS, or how much money is spend.....the whole point of all if it is for you and kevin to show each other how much u love each other by making this commitement....and that is the one thing that cant b unfinished, or not turn out perfect....and that is the only thing that matters....so dont take away from all this by letting it stress u out and taking one shred or the WHOLE POINT of this away....just get threw xmas, u can only do what u can do.....and after xmas i am on break from school, so if u need help with getting anything done or any details, i am always available, just remember to keep a part of the fun in all of it

As if this was not enough, I also got many offers of help from all of my bridesmaids, including my friend Tracy coming over last night and helping to re-stick all the invitations because the original adhesive wasn't really standing up the challenge or being opened and closed and handled.

Also, Kevin is feeling a little guilt (24 hours of phone calls to me where I ultimately end up sniffling and in tears will do that to a person) about not helping much with plans (although, to be honest, I've not really asked for help from anyone, so he shouldn't feel so bad). So he helped me cross something off the list - booking a hotel room for the wedding night (it was a bit more expensive than I was planning on, but since I didn't have to do anything, and it made Kevin feel good to help and more importantly because he contributes way more to the wedding fund than I do and he's the one who is more controlled on the spending, then I don't care. Its done and I am very very happy about that).

I know I bitch a lot (on a variety of subjects) but I am really so so so lucky to be surrounded by these wonderful people. I hope you have people like this in your life, because it really helps you keep sane.

Enjoy it!

I can't believe

there are only 66 days until the wedding. It really hit me hard yesterday when I noticed that someone on the discussion board I frequent had a ticker that had dropped to 1 month, 29 days...And when I say it hit me hard, I mean I had a stomach ache and could have potentially thrown up at any moment for the rest of the night, was a nervous wreck and wound up like an 8 day clock. I feel like I don't have any time to do all the things I need to do.

66 days and I still have so much to do and NO time to do it. I have to get the invitations out by next Friday, and they are not even finished yet, let alone addressed. I need to call and make an appt for a dress fitting, I need to get a crinoline and a veil and all my jewelry. I need to design my favors and get those started. I need to meet with the priest (which I believe involves bringing Kevin with me) so I can pick out the music and readings, so I can do the programs. I still need large bowls for my centerpieces, and approx 130 votives and 80 floating candles. I need a cake topper, a cake design, a wish jar, a hotel room for the wedding night, a cardbox, an aisle runner, table numbers, and a marriage license. I need to pay the balance on our honeymoon and make sure that Kevin and I have enough appropriate clothes for a week in 80 degree weather, including restaurants with dress codes and a LOT of sunscreen. OH and I need to meet with the photographer to pick out a package and discuss details so I don't end up angry on our wedding day that someone is barking out orders to me.

My stomach ache is back :/

On the bright side, it should help with the whole ass-fitting-in-the-dress thing.

Enjoy it!

Fiance from Heaven

Normally I would say I am the weaker link in the relationship. Kevin is so kind and caring and just generally good hearted that I am 1000000% positive I pale in comparison. But I got an oppurtunity to make up some ground this morning...

It all started with the other day. Apparently our landlords at the apartment have had to come out a LOT lately to let people in who have locked themselves out of their apartments. To remedy this, they are now charging $20 for a trip out (they live less than 5 minutes away and the man is there all the time anyhow since his tools and things are in the garage at this property)...which is pretty much highway robbery. We've never locked ourselves out, so it was kind of punishing us for a crime we hadn't yet committed.

But obviously, as soon as it cost money, it happened.

Kevin was on A shift this week, so he was supposed to be at work at 6 am. At 5:25, my cell phone starts going off. It's Kevin, and he's locked himself out. He doesn't want to call the landlady since 1 - she is a huge bitch, 2 - its going to cost $20, 3 - its 5am and 4 - we have two kittens and are only allowed to have one. And so, up I get, put on some work clothes and drive out to the apartment, an hour and a half away, at 5:30am.

The bonus part to this (other than getting to see Kevin) was that since I went to bed around 12:30am the night before, I decided to stay and sleep a couple hours in my glorious comfy new bed and come in for the afternoon at work. I love my bed. And I got to see my kitties. I love them too.

So here I am, at work for the afternoon. I *could* have just turned around when I got there and only been about an hour late to work, but since I have to work tonight until midnight, I knew I would never make it tomorrow that way. So I figured one morning was better than one whole day. And its only 2 more months here, right?


UPDATE - I finished cutting all my invitations stuff last night, stuffed them all in the pockets and almost all of them have an RSVP envelopes (I have about 30 left because I ran out of stamps)....I am inching ever closer to finishing the damn things. My mom's like "They look so beautiful" to which I very crankily responded "I hate them. They look alright, but they were so NOT worth the effort." Maybe I wouldn't hate them so much if I had just a little more time. Gah, the wedding is coming up so quickly and I am so busy!

Enjoy it!!

Once again...

I am working on my flipping invitations. I seriously hate hate hate with the fire of one thousand suns hate invitations. The ones I liked that I could get already made were too expensive, and the ones I could afford were too plain or didn't come in my color or I just didn't like.

So I was being a brat and decided I would make my own. I don't have time to do laundry...you know, the clean clothes i need to wear every day to work so I am not the creepy smelly coworker...I don't have time for that. So I don't know when I thought I was going to have the time to make these invitations.

But I bought the pocketfolds, I designed the inserts, I figured everything out, I called in to work one day and went to have everything copied. I spent a whole weekend cutting them up into the appropriate sizes. I spent another weekend pasting the invitation part into the pocket fold.

And then it hit me....

RSVPs need to go in an envelope. Envelopes come in 3 5/8 x 5 1/8....my RSVPs were 3 3/4 x 5 1/2....half an inch too tall and quarter inch too wide. And all the other inserts were sized to fall in line with these.

Back to the drawing board.

So last night, I tried to salvage what I had, but since it just wasn't happening, I resized everything, finalized the directions inserts and headed back out to Office Max to have everything re-copied.

Regularly the copies are $.99/1 color copy on cardstock. However, the last time I did them, this VERY nice woman was there and only charged me $.59/piece. This time, the SAME woman was there! Thank you thank you thank you! She only charged me $.59/piece and I needed 242 copies and she only charged for 162. She just left 80 off. For no reason.

And so:

Dear very kind hearted woman at Office Max:

Thank you so so so much for helping me out with the copies. I really appreciate you giving me a discount on the copying, because I really couldn't afford to spend the almost $240 in re-printing everything. I really hope you have a wonderful holiday and get lots of happy things from Santa. You are officially my invitation angel. Thanks again!

-A very desperate bride-to-be


Last night, I began recutting everything. It's very tedious, but I hope to have it done by this weekend. I also apparently need to order 10 more pocketfolds, 10 more envelopes, and 10 more RSVP envelopes, and print 10 more invitations out. Because my mother keeps adding to the list.

I cannot wait for Feb 22, so I can begin my glorious week in Antigua. Le sigh.

On a side note, I am up to 7lbs lost. Hopefully my butt will fit in my dress and lay flat. Finger crossed that I make it by the wedding!

Enjoy it!!

Big news. Big. HUGE

So, the dress is in. The shop called last night (and stupid me, I ignored the phone call because I no longer answer numbers I don't recognize...I have been getting calls for a pizzeria for a while and its quite annoying). I owe the balance in the next 30 days and it would be awesome if I could call them to schedule my first fitting.

This is her...Maggie Sottero "Nadine"...isn't she beautiful? Of course I am not so willowy, but its still lovely

Which on one hand, YAY! THE DRESS IS IN! I am so happy about that. Honestly, I ordered right down to the wire to be able to get it in time. SO I was really worrying about it getting here.

But on the other hand, the dress is here :/ and that means fittings and I know my shelf ass is not going to fit. And I need to figure out what undergarments I am getting. I have some Real Women dollars to use at Lane Bryant, so I am thinking new bra and panties and a pair of Spanx, and I know I still have almost 3 months, but I am so worried about fitting into the dress and every other wedding thing, which is not good, because I am stress eater.

Time to try and kick it in gear. I need to drop about 20 lbs. I know I can do it, I just don't really feel like putting forth the effort. The wedding planning stuff has ended up to be a lot more work and stress than I anticipated and it really makes me feel apathetic towards the whole thing.

But now its crunch time, time to start caring!! Let's go me!

Enjoy it!!

Ps - it's ok to love Erie

Ah-mazing weekend! Seriously. I was being super cranky about it to begin with, because Kevin was supposed to come and see me and come to Erie for the birthday extravaganza, and then found out he had to work. Then I had a veeeeery long night at Wegmans. So, needless to say, I was tired and not in best form when I got up and headed to my early hair appointment, to try a wedding hairstyle *again*.

This time, things were a MILLION times better - the girl, Cari, was awesome! She really listened when I was trying to explain, asked how I liked what she was doing, and was willing to work with me to create a style. Here is what we ended up with:


I totally LOVE it! She did a great job, especially considering my hair is not super long, and therefore not that easy to work with. Hopefully, if I keep growing it for the next 3 months, those little curlies on the sides will actually be able to reach back to the little bun. I don't have a veil yet (my mom is supposed to be making it, actually) so we couldn't try it out. But, I am going to put in underneath the curls in the back, which means I don't need to get a fancy barrette or anything, because you won't see it. I am thinking of maybe getting a could hairpins, just for a little extra something, but we'll see. Also, I think I will just leave the veil in all night - it makes me feel all bridal, and you only get to do it that one day, right?

I came home and went to the mall with my mother, which worked out to be a lot of fun. She has been wanting to go to the new Bobbi Brown counter, where my friend works, but she wants to go when Meg is working and there is no way she would remember who Meg is haha. So we went together, I got to show Meg my hair, and she did my mom's makeup. It was gorgeous! My mom does NOT wear a lot of makeup, so Meg was really trying to take it easy. She used a tinted moisturizer, which evened out her skin and covered up a lot of the red. I could tell my mom was not so comfy with having someone all up in her face, but it turned out beautiful!

I came home and relaxed, while waiting for my friend Tracy to finish errands so we could head down to Erie for Colleen & Mike's BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA! Once we got there, we grabbed a couple Hot'n'Ready's (which are just pizzas, I think from Little Caesar's) and hung out and got ready to go out. Colleen loooooved her birthday/Christmas present - I got her this adorable apron with cherries on it, a cupcake tin shaped like hearts and a couple towels for the kitchen with her fave, penguins, on them. It's for her inner domestic goddess. Although she does have plans to "sex up" the apron, ya know, high heels, sexy underpants haha.

We were supposed to begin the evening at Matthew's Trattoria for martinis, but when we tried to go, we were told that the people involved in "The Nutcracker" were having a private party...so much for starting the evening out classy, haha!

We went to the Plymouth and enjoyed some of their drink specials, including a shot called the Four Divas - delish! I have no idea what was in it, but it was yummers. After that, we went to this other bar where Colleen and Mike's friends, Mandy and Andrew work. It was classy. Or not. The thing about bars in PA (unlike NY) is that you can smoke there. So we walked into a thick cloud of carcinogens and countryfolk lol. It was a great time though. Also, apparently I became the papazzi. So, here is my photo essay from the evening at the Red Fox...

These are our gracious hosts, Colleen and Mike. I love them. Seriously.

Colleen, Mike, Tracy (who affectionately became "The Blonde" all night) and me. My clothes are STINKY from all the smoke.

Here is Steve-O and Colleen. There were a lot of funny candids,

thanks to my sniper attack camera skillz.

The lovebirds. Seriously, this is not alcohol induced for them.

They really are just this ridiculous.

Colleen and Tracy - they have been friends since they wer 3 years old and in the same grammar school. One phrase used often (stemming from their experiences in pre-k) is "Tracy's my friend and not yours, so you can't play with her." Both of these lovely ladies are in my wedding and I am so glad to have them in my life!

Ahh, beer my dear friend. Wow, am I pasty or what?! Stupid pale people ancestry! I am Irish Polish and German.... I'm practically allergic to the sun (and also, have the hottest temper around).

Colleen, hanging out at the bar

There was a lot of licking going on. Yummy!

Hot mess. That is all. But at least we're hot, right?

Say "Ah!"

A lady never reveals her secrets.

Seriously. Love them.

Josh doesn't mind the licking. We're all fine here.

Aww, so cute. I <3>

Colleen was all giggles at the bar

Tracy and Steve-O. Apparently when we were going from bar 1 to bar 2, they snuck out and headed over to an "adult store." They wanted to get Colleen something for her birthday, and Tracy picked out candy necklace nip tassles...to which Steve-O replied, "Well we don't want to get her something she probably already has." HAHAHAHA

She is a sassy minx. Be jealous.

Me, making sure my hair still looked hot. Yup, it did.

Yeah baby yeah

There was a lot of hard liquor involved with Tracy. It's ok, they are good friends.

Ok now children, settle, settle.

Lovahs!

Stranded at the bar, waiting for the slowest cab in Erie to retrieve our sorry behinds.

(l-r: John, Tracy, Colleen, Mike, Josh)

Enjoy it!!