Our photographer, Sally Gupton, put some wedding pictures up on her blog and they are incredible!! We are so blessed that we had such incredible talent behind the lense. Sally, Chezley, and Ivan all did an amazing job and they were so easy to work with. Before the wedding Sally, Jason, Chezley, and I all sat down to talk about the layout of the weekend. Sally's excitement about shooting in Wilmington was palpable and made me that much more excited. Her excitement carried through the weekend and she was absolutely incredible. She went above and beyond what she was asked to do and some of the most amazing photos came from those times.
If you have any event coming up - engagement, baby, wedding, high school senior, etc. - please look Sally up. She is amazing and easy to work with and you WILL NOT be disappointed in the outcome. She is extremely talented and artistic. I love, love, love her!!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Cute Story
The weekend before the wedding, Ja and I made the treck to Winston so that I could go see Alex to get my hair did. We did a lot of visiting and a lot of relaxing that weekend, but I had a really cool encounter while I was foiled up!
I got to Alex's for my appointment and we sat down and talked about exactly what I envisioned my hair looking like. Once he played with my hair for a while because it was so long, he began to foil my head. Every piece of hair on my head was put into a foil. I looked ridiculous. So this really pretty older woman came in and sat in the chair beside me. She kept looking over at me and saying hello to everyone around (so she obviously was a regular there). She was obvious intrigued by the massive amount of foil in my hair because she was only getting her roots done. I sat for my 30 minutes to let everything saturate my hair, then it was time for wash #1. Oh, heaven on earth! Once I got my head in the sink she stood over me and said, 'Do you mind if I stare at you?' I awkwardly told her I didn't mind and she told me that she was just completely fascinated by what the end result is going to be. So while I was getting hosed out, we made small talk. We talked about the amazingness of getting your hair washed by Alex and the gossip of the people around the salon. She then asked me what I was there for and I told her that I was getting married in a week. She said, 'Well my daughter is dating the biggest douchebag I've ever met and we've had a lot of conversations lately about what makes a relationship work.' I almost peed myself as this 50 year old woman used the word douchebag. You could tell though that she wasn't your normal, conservative woman. We then talked about relationships and how I knew that I was supposed to marry this man. She then told me the secret to her marriage was that they put each other first. For instance, her husband had hurt has back really badly and she had hurt her arm terribly and one night he got out of the bed in excruciating pain, just to get her some tylenol so that she wouldn't hurt anymore. I thought that was just a really great story and so we continued to talk about love and marriage. By then Alex had washed my hair 3 times with some great smelling stuff and then it was time for the blow dry and style. She sat right there and watched everything he did while we continued to talk. After she got her color rinsed out and she got styled, she said her goodbyes and left. Alex kept going on and on about how sweet people in the south are and how beautiful it all is (if you don't know Alex, he is a very gay, very Argentinian man who is amazing at his job, and is HILARIOUS to have a conversation with). Just about then she popped back around the corner with a piece of paper and a pencil in her hand. She asked me what my name was and I told her and then she asked the name of the 'lucky man that snagged you up'. I gave her Ja's name and was kind of wondering where this was going. She then asked the date of our wedding and when I told her she simply said, 'Well I'll be sure to pray for you on that day.' And I'm completely sure that she did.
Even though we had known each other for minutes, she still took the time to find that information about me just so she could pray for me. I thought Alex was going to cry. It truly was a beautiful moment to match my beautiful hair when I left that place!!
I got to Alex's for my appointment and we sat down and talked about exactly what I envisioned my hair looking like. Once he played with my hair for a while because it was so long, he began to foil my head. Every piece of hair on my head was put into a foil. I looked ridiculous. So this really pretty older woman came in and sat in the chair beside me. She kept looking over at me and saying hello to everyone around (so she obviously was a regular there). She was obvious intrigued by the massive amount of foil in my hair because she was only getting her roots done. I sat for my 30 minutes to let everything saturate my hair, then it was time for wash #1. Oh, heaven on earth! Once I got my head in the sink she stood over me and said, 'Do you mind if I stare at you?' I awkwardly told her I didn't mind and she told me that she was just completely fascinated by what the end result is going to be. So while I was getting hosed out, we made small talk. We talked about the amazingness of getting your hair washed by Alex and the gossip of the people around the salon. She then asked me what I was there for and I told her that I was getting married in a week. She said, 'Well my daughter is dating the biggest douchebag I've ever met and we've had a lot of conversations lately about what makes a relationship work.' I almost peed myself as this 50 year old woman used the word douchebag. You could tell though that she wasn't your normal, conservative woman. We then talked about relationships and how I knew that I was supposed to marry this man. She then told me the secret to her marriage was that they put each other first. For instance, her husband had hurt has back really badly and she had hurt her arm terribly and one night he got out of the bed in excruciating pain, just to get her some tylenol so that she wouldn't hurt anymore. I thought that was just a really great story and so we continued to talk about love and marriage. By then Alex had washed my hair 3 times with some great smelling stuff and then it was time for the blow dry and style. She sat right there and watched everything he did while we continued to talk. After she got her color rinsed out and she got styled, she said her goodbyes and left. Alex kept going on and on about how sweet people in the south are and how beautiful it all is (if you don't know Alex, he is a very gay, very Argentinian man who is amazing at his job, and is HILARIOUS to have a conversation with). Just about then she popped back around the corner with a piece of paper and a pencil in her hand. She asked me what my name was and I told her and then she asked the name of the 'lucky man that snagged you up'. I gave her Ja's name and was kind of wondering where this was going. She then asked the date of our wedding and when I told her she simply said, 'Well I'll be sure to pray for you on that day.' And I'm completely sure that she did.
Even though we had known each other for minutes, she still took the time to find that information about me just so she could pray for me. I thought Alex was going to cry. It truly was a beautiful moment to match my beautiful hair when I left that place!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
We're Back!
Sorry to overload everyone's dashboard with all of those old posts, but with the help of Hannah and Google Reader, I now have all of my posts back!! I can't tell you how good that feels!!!
Post Party Depression
Original Post: March 10, 2009
So I have heard the terrible and sad stories about women that have Post Partum Depression after they have their baby. It sounds really, really awful and I hope no one I love and are close to have to deal with such a thing.
Not that this is anywhere close to that, but I'm pretty sure I have Post-Party Depression. Maybe not even depression, but Post-Party Sadness. Friday night it kind of hit me like a train that we had thrown this kick-ass party and had everyone we love in the same room and then we had an awesome couple of days to kick back and relax in Wilmington and then we got to get lots of really cool presents and stuff for the house and then it was 'Back to Life, Back to Reality'!! Yup, go ahead and sing that delicious En Vogue melody out loud! Tuesday we were blessed with a 3 hour delay, but Ja and I both talked about how long that day felt. Especially since we are both coaching right now and don't get to have as much time together as we did. Last work week crept by even though we were lucky enough to have a teacher workday on Friday. That day was last weeks saving grace!! This past weekend we were able to travel to Greenville and see some friends, but most of the weekend we worked and worked and worked. We had a house to organize, dogs to wash, thank you notes to write (and yes I want it to be known that Ja did most of them - I do have an incredible husband!), laundry to do, dishes to wash, and a trillion other things that overloaded a list for one day. Ja and I got on each others nerves and we got a serious dose of reality. We came down from our wedding high and had to deal with life, whether it gets in our way or not. I would love nothing better than to be able to just enjoy a few days of doing whatever I want to...but our time is coming. We have t-minus 32 days until we are on a plane to Vegas and we get to do just that for a week. We get to go where we want, when we want, and do whatever the hell we please!! Slot machines...check. Cirque de Soliel...check. Drankin'...check. Laying by the pool...check. Sight seeing...check. Getting tatted...sure, why not! We are going to be free as birds and I CANNOT WAIT!!!
Until then, I guess I'll just deal with life the best I can. It will be easier now that I have my amazing husband by my side!!
So I have heard the terrible and sad stories about women that have Post Partum Depression after they have their baby. It sounds really, really awful and I hope no one I love and are close to have to deal with such a thing.
Not that this is anywhere close to that, but I'm pretty sure I have Post-Party Depression. Maybe not even depression, but Post-Party Sadness. Friday night it kind of hit me like a train that we had thrown this kick-ass party and had everyone we love in the same room and then we had an awesome couple of days to kick back and relax in Wilmington and then we got to get lots of really cool presents and stuff for the house and then it was 'Back to Life, Back to Reality'!! Yup, go ahead and sing that delicious En Vogue melody out loud! Tuesday we were blessed with a 3 hour delay, but Ja and I both talked about how long that day felt. Especially since we are both coaching right now and don't get to have as much time together as we did. Last work week crept by even though we were lucky enough to have a teacher workday on Friday. That day was last weeks saving grace!! This past weekend we were able to travel to Greenville and see some friends, but most of the weekend we worked and worked and worked. We had a house to organize, dogs to wash, thank you notes to write (and yes I want it to be known that Ja did most of them - I do have an incredible husband!), laundry to do, dishes to wash, and a trillion other things that overloaded a list for one day. Ja and I got on each others nerves and we got a serious dose of reality. We came down from our wedding high and had to deal with life, whether it gets in our way or not. I would love nothing better than to be able to just enjoy a few days of doing whatever I want to...but our time is coming. We have t-minus 32 days until we are on a plane to Vegas and we get to do just that for a week. We get to go where we want, when we want, and do whatever the hell we please!! Slot machines...check. Cirque de Soliel...check. Drankin'...check. Laying by the pool...check. Sight seeing...check. Getting tatted...sure, why not! We are going to be free as birds and I CANNOT WAIT!!!
Until then, I guess I'll just deal with life the best I can. It will be easier now that I have my amazing husband by my side!!
Perfection
Original Post: March 5, 2009
Jason and I are back to life, back to reality. Before the details begin to blur together I want to document as much of the weekend as I can. I have had people ask me how it was and perfect is the only word I can think of. People that weren't there aren't going to understand the level of perfection, but they'll get a good idea!! This is going to be a long one...
Wednesday - Ja and I both worked on Wednesday, but then were able to get home and clean the house and get competely packed up. I needed to leave a clean house so we could come back and not have to worry about anything. I knew, though, that once we got to Wilmington we'd be able to relax because most of the little stuff was done.
Our poor boys were getting so excited because they thought we were going to take a family trip, but womp womp, we were leaving them. Their Uncle Matt came and stayed with them Wednesday and Thursday night and then they were taken to 'camp' (aka the boarder) for Friday through Monday. Even though I missed them, they were in good hands!
We stopped by his parents on the way out of town and visited and then hit the road. We got down to Wilmington and unloaded everything and spent some time with Mom and Dad and Leslie and Will.
Thursday - Thursday involved some finagling because we had lots of people heading in different directions, but we needed someone to be at the house while Anna took her nap and the flowers were going to be delivered and needed someone to sign for them. Ja got up really early and went to the gym. He came back and we headed downtown. Leslie suited up and headed to The Loop to get her run in (she is training for the Cooper River Bridge 10k in Charleston!). Ja and I went to the Register of Deeds to get our marriage license (small minor detail for the weekend!!). Everything went well there and the weekend had a legal purpose!! We then took my engagement ring to Perry's Emporium to get it cleaned and re-dipped in Rhodium. Good thing the price of everything has gone up so it was ridiculously expensive!! Yay!! Ja's suit pants were the next order of business because we had left them to be hemmed. Once they were hemmed correctly the second time we were off to Flaming Amy's to have lunch with his mom and exchange the hotel baskets so they could be dropped off. We then went back to Mom and Dad's to divide and conquer. I jumped in the car with Mom and Leslie to head to the church and Ja and Deddy took the beer and wine to Angie to be iced down while Will stayed with a sleeping Banana Pants. At the church we hung and steamed my dress and Leslie's dress and worked on the candles that were put on the baptistry. Then we headed to Port City Java to drink a coveted Mocha Shake while we looked at ridiculously precious and way over-priced kids clothes. We headed back to the house in time for Leslie and Will to take Banana Pants to see some of Leslie's college friends that have kids. Deddy then broke out his new grill and Mom, Deddy, Greg, Ja, and I enjoyed steak and sweet potatoes. We also heard about Greg's wonderful day and him getting rowdy about how people suck at life. It was a riot. Then (per Leslie's advice) I decided to give my mom and dad their gifts (instead of leaving them on their pillows so I didn't have to deal with too many emotions) and everyone cried and laughed as Leslie, Will, and BP walked back in. We stayed up talking for a bit, then we all crashed hard - exhausted already.
Friday - Friday morning I woke up to Mom working on the bouquets. She single-handedly created all of the bouquets, boutonniere, and 'mussy-tussies'. I jumped in the shower and headed to the airport to pick up Mags and all of her skinny goodness!! We then called Patrick and were able to head to Mayfaire to spend some time with Patrick and his mom. That was a really great hour of just being able to sit and talk and sit still for a bit. Mags and I headed back to the house to grab some lunch and then we jumped in the car with Les to head to the nail place. Michelle met us for her first mani-pedi ever. We had just watched this the night before and it made it that much more hilarious. Michelle was determined that her guy 'HATED HER' because he wouldn't talk back to her. It was a hysterical hour and a half. After heading back to the house we all had an hour to get ready for the rehearsal. We all met at the church at 4:30 and were able to say hey and get our girly screams on and then we got to work. Jason's grandpa, Ed, had had a mild heart attack early Friday morning and so his family was crazily trying to be there for him and be at the wedding stuff. Everyone made it and we were able to have a great rehearsal. Then it was time to head to Hieronymus for an amazing rehearsal dinner. The food was great, the alcohol was thirst-quenching and the toasts were unbelievable. We were able to spend some good time with friends and sit around and enjoy each other, then it was time to get to the slideshow and toasts. My sweet, sweet husband worked for a lot of hours getting that thing together and it was amazing. Baby pics of me, baby pics of him, then pics of us together. Absolutely precious. Then the toasts started. Mike called John out and he went first. It was hilarious. He talked about some great memories of Jason (some embarrassing!) and then memories that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Patrick was next as he recalled our first meeting and how scared he was of me in the beginning! Then my college girls, Kelly, Katie, and Michelle, read a poem that they wrote that was unbelievable. It was perfect and made me cry! Then the dads went and talked about how lucky we are to have such great families and how their excited to have the other family as part of their extended families. Then it was Ja's turn. Talk about not a dry eye in the house. He went through his family and my family and his friends and my friends and talked about what they meant to him and what they meant to me. He then told all of my people that he would take care of me. There is no way I can explain how amazing it was, so I'm not going to try. Hopefully we'll be able to have video of the weekend and you might be lucky enough to get to see it. After dinner we headed to Noni Bacca, which is a winery in Wilmington. I found it this summer as I was babysitting and I think it is so cool that we have an actual winery in the city limits. We were able to go with some aunts and the wedding party and friends. We got to taste some amazing wine and be in a place we can actually hear each other and it was just us. It was a wonderful night. Then it was time to go home and get some sleep.
Saturday - THE BIG DAY!!! I woke up Saturday morning with a huge smile on my face. I was going to get to marry Jason!!! I jumped in the shower and we began getting ready for the Bridal Brunch. Mags had stayed at my parents house with us, so we were all showering and getting ready. The guys were heading to breakfast at Golden Corral and then to UNCW to play basketball. The ladies got dressed and began to load the car with the attendants gifts. I had on my new Ann Taylor dress pants that Ja had gotten me for part of a wedding gift and as I bent down to pick up the box of presents...RRRRIIIIIPPPPP!!! Right up the crack. I had a split second where I thought about getting upset, but instead, I started dying laughing. It was hysterical. To make things better, Greg had taken my luggage to Ja, so I had nothing. Luckily I was able to magically fit into Leslie's pants and the problem was solved. Good story, though. Once I had my clothing situation fixed, we headed to Pam Fallis' house while Michelle drove Leslie's van to the hotel to pick up the girls. There we had some amazing mimosa's, muffins, fruit, and breakfast casseroles. It was such a nice breakfast and a good time to spend with my girls. I then gave them their gifts and mom gave me mine. Another bit of a cry fest. I then balled again as I told the girls what Jason had given me for a wedding gift the night before. We got some good pictures, then it was time to go get ready!! Leslie and I headed to Belk in Mayfaire for my makeup appointment. Sadly enough, they didn't have my appointment written down, but luckily they were able to fit me in. I was a little late for my hair with Johnna, but it all worked out. Johnna did a GREAT job on my hair and Leslie got her hair done and then we headed to the church. There we hung out in the bridal room and got ready. Since it was raining we had to be stashed in a stairway for a while, so once we all got ready and got some great pictures, it was time to head down the balcony. We hung out in the stairway for a while and got pictures and talked and laughed. It wasn't until we were walking down to start the ceremony that I got the least bit nervous. I walked into the foyer of the church and saw Deddy and he walked over and told me I was beautiful and gave me a hug. Then I saw Jeffro in all of his handsomeness and he smiled at me and immediately made me feel better. When it was Jeff Whitehead's time to walk he handed Tanner to my dad who held onto him for dear life until it was time for him to walk. Tanner was kicking and sliding around and was playing, but Deddy had the death grip on him. This gave me something to laugh about so I didn't have time to think about what was about to happen. When the last attendant walked they closed the doors so Deddy and I could get ready. The glass in the door is stained glass except for a few pieces that are clear. I took the few seconds to look through because I knew I needed to see Ja before those doors opened if I didn't want to lose it. I peeked and saw him and just had a calm wash over me. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about because I was going to be walking to him. He always makes things better. So I grabbed Deddy's arms and Greg started playing and it was time to go. P.S. Let me take this moment to brag on my Greg who did such an amazing job playing for that wedding. It made my heart smile to know that every note that was played came from him. It made the ceremony that much more intimate and amazing. So back to the walk. I have heard how quickly it goes and how you should take it all in, so when I was walking I caught Ja's eyes and then I tried to look around the best I could to see who was there supporting us. I was overwhelmed with the number of people I saw. I saw Ja (crying), I saw Mom (crying), I saw Leslie (crying), I saw Mags (crying), I saw Carrie (crying). I knew I had to find someone to look at if I didn't want to lose it, so I found Mike Queen who was just standing there with a smile on his face. We turned the corner and walked to our position. Ja said hey and told me how beautiful I looked. We were asked if we take this man/woman to have and to hold... and we both said, 'I will.' I like the twist on the traditional 'I do'. Then we said a prayer and Mike asked my dad who gives me away. He said, 'Her mother and I do,' then he kissed my cheek and took a seat. Then he asked Ja's dad who gives him and he said, 'His mother and I do.' Then we walked up the steps to the top. At that point the lights up front were brightened and the lights for the crowd were dimmed. The candles that were put in the baptistry became so bright there was an audible, 'Oooo!' We said our vows and we exchanged our rings and then Patrick did a reading that was awesome and during the unity candle we had Amber Vaughn sing 'When You Walked Into My Life'. She did an amazing job and it just added to the wonderfulness of thewhole thing. Then it was time for us to kiss and be announced husband and wife!! What a cool feeling that was!!! We walked back down the aisle arm and arm on our first journey of marriage!! God blessed us and stopped the rain for a little bit so that we could run out of the church with a giant pink umberella to get pictures. We then went to a few spots and took more pictures of just the two of us. Everyone thought we snuck off to do it, but I promise you that didn't happen!! Mike Queen even said something to me about that! I told him not yet...then I said, 'Inappropriate!' So yeah, I had a conversation about sex with my pastor standing in the church! We then headed back into the sanctuary for a few formal pictures. After that it was reception time, so we cleaned everything up at the church and everyone gathered their things, and then John, Ja, and I walked to Thalian. We immediately were taken in the Thalian theater and Sally conducted an AMAZING picture of us and all of our attendants seated in the theater. It is going to be unreal. Then we were introduced into the reception and I was blown away at the number of people!! We came into the Alan Parsons Project - Sirius, which is what the Bulls come into. It was great. We immediately blessed the food and got to eating. Ja and I started the line and the food was GREAT!! Angie did an awesome job! We headed to our table and tried to shove something in between talking to people. We then divided and conquered as we made our way around the room to talk to people. After that it was champagne toast and cake cutting and dances. We had a generations dance and Dinah and John Reece were the longest married couple with 43 years! Then it was time to get rowdy!! I got to spend a little bit of time talking to people and enjoying some beverages, but then it was time to rock out!! We had a dance party for the entire rest of the time! We did take time out to throw the bouquet, directly to Megan Davis!, and the garter, directly to Rick Parlow! We did the Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, and Cupid Shuffle amongst other bouts of ridiculousness. The night truly was the party we had hoped for. We had our last dance to Don't Stop Believin' by Journey and Friends in Low Places by Garth. Our exit was planned out with sparklers and we ran through the sparklers and it was so pretty. Then Ja realized everyone had about 2 minutes left so we proceeded to 'leave' about 5 times. The highlight of the night, however, happened when I decided it was a good idea to ride piggy back for our final exit. First jump, no luck. So Patrick yelled out, 'Hike that thing up.' I got as much dress as I could and jumped with all I had. In that process I jumped onto Ja's lower back causing him to stand straight up and then my foot swung and kicked his knee out from under him. Yep, we fell on our ass!! Will got a great picture of Ja's legs STRAIGHT up in the air. Mom got a good one of my face because I saw laughing so hard I couldn't breath. Once we got up and brushed ourselves off, we ran through for the final time (I think Jeffro won the sparkler game with the longest lasting sparkler) and I gave my dad a hug and he shook his head and said, 'Only you!'. We got in the car and drove to the Hilton. Everyone else was heading to Level 5 and we didn't want to miss any of that, so we pulled up and jumped out with all of our stuff and headed to the room. Ja had gotten flower petals and laid them all around the room and on the bed. It was absolutely gorgeous. He laid down on the bed for a second and I didn't know whether or not we were going to roll around now or later and so I said, 'So what are we doing?' to which he replied, 'If I take my pants off, we're not leaving.' I told him he better buckle that belt because we're going drankin'!! Rolling around can wait!! So we walked to Level 5 and met with everyone and proceeded to party until about 1:30 am. Everyone was amazing that a) I wore my dress to the bar and b) we were still up and partying at 1am. We were having such a great time and we'd never have everyone in the same place again, so we wanted to take advantage of it. We had a lot of drunken monologues of love that were priceless. We had a lot of dance parties and a lot of drinks! We stayed as long as we could, but we were exhausted and said our goodbyes and made the walk back (only after stopping at I Heart New York Pizza for a couple of slices). We got to the room and immediately took a shower. By the time I had brushed my teeth and gotten ready for bed, I came out and Ja was asleep. I took a picture because it was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. His left hand was above the pillow and his ring was shining while he was passed out from exhaustion.
Sunday and Monday - The rest of the weekend was awesome. We went to Wild Wing Cafe for lunch and Elijah's for dinner on Sunday. We were able to meet up with Greg and Michelle to retrieve Ja's phone and it was fun to rehash the weekend since Ja and I just kept talking and talking about how perfect everything was. We were able to relax and stay in bed and just be. It was an amazing way to recap the perfect weekend. Monday we loaded the car and headed to Mom and Deddy's to get the rest of our stuff. Mom had organized everything so we loaded our pile and took some of the food (including the banging cake we had!). We then stopped by Holly Tree to give Mom a hug and say thank you one more time before we headed out. Once we got home we spent some time with the boys and then tackled the gifts. We had a lot of gift cards and a lot of really great stuff. That night we headed to Target with a few of our returns and gift cards and loaded up on stuff we needed. It was awesome to get all of that stuff and only spend $1.04 out of pocket!! We came home and CRASHED. Didn't even take the time to unpack.
Tuesday - Monday night while we were at Target we came out and there was snow on the car. We looked at each other and said if this weekend is capped off with a delay or cancelled school...this is seriously going to be the most perfect weekend ever. We got a few calls at 5:30 to let us know we had a 3 hour delay. HALLELUJAH!!!! Going back to work was the LAST thing we wanted to do, so it was nice to have a few extra minutes of sleep to soften the blow. Tuesday night when we got home we headed to Bed, Bath, & Beyond for our second trip with returns and gift cards. We spent another good chunk and took it all home. I then decided at 10p it would be a good idea to clean out the old stuff and make room for the new. The kitchen looked like a disaster area. Everything was handwashed, the towels were washed and dried and things were starting to take shape. Still didn't unpack.
Wednesday - The one big thing we didn't have that I desperately needed was a vacuum cleaner. With two big dogs and cheap ass nylon carpet, vacuums fall victim at our house. Our old vacuum had to have a broom handle jammed down it twice for every room to unclog it. Awful. So Ja did some research and yesterday we went to Sam's (with yet another stack of gift cards) and got a DYSON!!!!!!! I am so stoked. I finished washing all of our dishes while Ja put the sucker together. I have never been more attracted to him then when he turned that bitch on and it sucked everthing up! I even used my fingers to see if I could rake up some carpet and dog hair like I normally can and NOTHING CAME UP!! I was so excited!! So now we have a stocked and cleaned out kitchen and a brand new vacuum and we finally unpacked!!
Our wedding weekend was absolutely perfect. We had a blast and are happier than ever. I just want to say another huge thank you to EVERYONE who made that weekend what it was.
Through it all I have learned three things:
1. I am madly and passionately in love with my husband and I have never been happier. I am very proud and honored to know that I get to spend my life beside him.
2. I had no idea how sexy Jason would be to me with that wedding ring on his finger!
3. DYSON'S KICK ASS!!!
Jason and I are back to life, back to reality. Before the details begin to blur together I want to document as much of the weekend as I can. I have had people ask me how it was and perfect is the only word I can think of. People that weren't there aren't going to understand the level of perfection, but they'll get a good idea!! This is going to be a long one...
Wednesday - Ja and I both worked on Wednesday, but then were able to get home and clean the house and get competely packed up. I needed to leave a clean house so we could come back and not have to worry about anything. I knew, though, that once we got to Wilmington we'd be able to relax because most of the little stuff was done.
Our poor boys were getting so excited because they thought we were going to take a family trip, but womp womp, we were leaving them. Their Uncle Matt came and stayed with them Wednesday and Thursday night and then they were taken to 'camp' (aka the boarder) for Friday through Monday. Even though I missed them, they were in good hands!
We stopped by his parents on the way out of town and visited and then hit the road. We got down to Wilmington and unloaded everything and spent some time with Mom and Dad and Leslie and Will.
Thursday - Thursday involved some finagling because we had lots of people heading in different directions, but we needed someone to be at the house while Anna took her nap and the flowers were going to be delivered and needed someone to sign for them. Ja got up really early and went to the gym. He came back and we headed downtown. Leslie suited up and headed to The Loop to get her run in (she is training for the Cooper River Bridge 10k in Charleston!). Ja and I went to the Register of Deeds to get our marriage license (small minor detail for the weekend!!). Everything went well there and the weekend had a legal purpose!! We then took my engagement ring to Perry's Emporium to get it cleaned and re-dipped in Rhodium. Good thing the price of everything has gone up so it was ridiculously expensive!! Yay!! Ja's suit pants were the next order of business because we had left them to be hemmed. Once they were hemmed correctly the second time we were off to Flaming Amy's to have lunch with his mom and exchange the hotel baskets so they could be dropped off. We then went back to Mom and Dad's to divide and conquer. I jumped in the car with Mom and Leslie to head to the church and Ja and Deddy took the beer and wine to Angie to be iced down while Will stayed with a sleeping Banana Pants. At the church we hung and steamed my dress and Leslie's dress and worked on the candles that were put on the baptistry. Then we headed to Port City Java to drink a coveted Mocha Shake while we looked at ridiculously precious and way over-priced kids clothes. We headed back to the house in time for Leslie and Will to take Banana Pants to see some of Leslie's college friends that have kids. Deddy then broke out his new grill and Mom, Deddy, Greg, Ja, and I enjoyed steak and sweet potatoes. We also heard about Greg's wonderful day and him getting rowdy about how people suck at life. It was a riot. Then (per Leslie's advice) I decided to give my mom and dad their gifts (instead of leaving them on their pillows so I didn't have to deal with too many emotions) and everyone cried and laughed as Leslie, Will, and BP walked back in. We stayed up talking for a bit, then we all crashed hard - exhausted already.
Friday - Friday morning I woke up to Mom working on the bouquets. She single-handedly created all of the bouquets, boutonniere, and 'mussy-tussies'. I jumped in the shower and headed to the airport to pick up Mags and all of her skinny goodness!! We then called Patrick and were able to head to Mayfaire to spend some time with Patrick and his mom. That was a really great hour of just being able to sit and talk and sit still for a bit. Mags and I headed back to the house to grab some lunch and then we jumped in the car with Les to head to the nail place. Michelle met us for her first mani-pedi ever. We had just watched this the night before and it made it that much more hilarious. Michelle was determined that her guy 'HATED HER' because he wouldn't talk back to her. It was a hysterical hour and a half. After heading back to the house we all had an hour to get ready for the rehearsal. We all met at the church at 4:30 and were able to say hey and get our girly screams on and then we got to work. Jason's grandpa, Ed, had had a mild heart attack early Friday morning and so his family was crazily trying to be there for him and be at the wedding stuff. Everyone made it and we were able to have a great rehearsal. Then it was time to head to Hieronymus for an amazing rehearsal dinner. The food was great, the alcohol was thirst-quenching and the toasts were unbelievable. We were able to spend some good time with friends and sit around and enjoy each other, then it was time to get to the slideshow and toasts. My sweet, sweet husband worked for a lot of hours getting that thing together and it was amazing. Baby pics of me, baby pics of him, then pics of us together. Absolutely precious. Then the toasts started. Mike called John out and he went first. It was hilarious. He talked about some great memories of Jason (some embarrassing!) and then memories that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Patrick was next as he recalled our first meeting and how scared he was of me in the beginning! Then my college girls, Kelly, Katie, and Michelle, read a poem that they wrote that was unbelievable. It was perfect and made me cry! Then the dads went and talked about how lucky we are to have such great families and how their excited to have the other family as part of their extended families. Then it was Ja's turn. Talk about not a dry eye in the house. He went through his family and my family and his friends and my friends and talked about what they meant to him and what they meant to me. He then told all of my people that he would take care of me. There is no way I can explain how amazing it was, so I'm not going to try. Hopefully we'll be able to have video of the weekend and you might be lucky enough to get to see it. After dinner we headed to Noni Bacca, which is a winery in Wilmington. I found it this summer as I was babysitting and I think it is so cool that we have an actual winery in the city limits. We were able to go with some aunts and the wedding party and friends. We got to taste some amazing wine and be in a place we can actually hear each other and it was just us. It was a wonderful night. Then it was time to go home and get some sleep.
Saturday - THE BIG DAY!!! I woke up Saturday morning with a huge smile on my face. I was going to get to marry Jason!!! I jumped in the shower and we began getting ready for the Bridal Brunch. Mags had stayed at my parents house with us, so we were all showering and getting ready. The guys were heading to breakfast at Golden Corral and then to UNCW to play basketball. The ladies got dressed and began to load the car with the attendants gifts. I had on my new Ann Taylor dress pants that Ja had gotten me for part of a wedding gift and as I bent down to pick up the box of presents...RRRRIIIIIPPPPP!!! Right up the crack. I had a split second where I thought about getting upset, but instead, I started dying laughing. It was hysterical. To make things better, Greg had taken my luggage to Ja, so I had nothing. Luckily I was able to magically fit into Leslie's pants and the problem was solved. Good story, though. Once I had my clothing situation fixed, we headed to Pam Fallis' house while Michelle drove Leslie's van to the hotel to pick up the girls. There we had some amazing mimosa's, muffins, fruit, and breakfast casseroles. It was such a nice breakfast and a good time to spend with my girls. I then gave them their gifts and mom gave me mine. Another bit of a cry fest. I then balled again as I told the girls what Jason had given me for a wedding gift the night before. We got some good pictures, then it was time to go get ready!! Leslie and I headed to Belk in Mayfaire for my makeup appointment. Sadly enough, they didn't have my appointment written down, but luckily they were able to fit me in. I was a little late for my hair with Johnna, but it all worked out. Johnna did a GREAT job on my hair and Leslie got her hair done and then we headed to the church. There we hung out in the bridal room and got ready. Since it was raining we had to be stashed in a stairway for a while, so once we all got ready and got some great pictures, it was time to head down the balcony. We hung out in the stairway for a while and got pictures and talked and laughed. It wasn't until we were walking down to start the ceremony that I got the least bit nervous. I walked into the foyer of the church and saw Deddy and he walked over and told me I was beautiful and gave me a hug. Then I saw Jeffro in all of his handsomeness and he smiled at me and immediately made me feel better. When it was Jeff Whitehead's time to walk he handed Tanner to my dad who held onto him for dear life until it was time for him to walk. Tanner was kicking and sliding around and was playing, but Deddy had the death grip on him. This gave me something to laugh about so I didn't have time to think about what was about to happen. When the last attendant walked they closed the doors so Deddy and I could get ready. The glass in the door is stained glass except for a few pieces that are clear. I took the few seconds to look through because I knew I needed to see Ja before those doors opened if I didn't want to lose it. I peeked and saw him and just had a calm wash over me. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about because I was going to be walking to him. He always makes things better. So I grabbed Deddy's arms and Greg started playing and it was time to go. P.S. Let me take this moment to brag on my Greg who did such an amazing job playing for that wedding. It made my heart smile to know that every note that was played came from him. It made the ceremony that much more intimate and amazing. So back to the walk. I have heard how quickly it goes and how you should take it all in, so when I was walking I caught Ja's eyes and then I tried to look around the best I could to see who was there supporting us. I was overwhelmed with the number of people I saw. I saw Ja (crying), I saw Mom (crying), I saw Leslie (crying), I saw Mags (crying), I saw Carrie (crying). I knew I had to find someone to look at if I didn't want to lose it, so I found Mike Queen who was just standing there with a smile on his face. We turned the corner and walked to our position. Ja said hey and told me how beautiful I looked. We were asked if we take this man/woman to have and to hold... and we both said, 'I will.' I like the twist on the traditional 'I do'. Then we said a prayer and Mike asked my dad who gives me away. He said, 'Her mother and I do,' then he kissed my cheek and took a seat. Then he asked Ja's dad who gives him and he said, 'His mother and I do.' Then we walked up the steps to the top. At that point the lights up front were brightened and the lights for the crowd were dimmed. The candles that were put in the baptistry became so bright there was an audible, 'Oooo!' We said our vows and we exchanged our rings and then Patrick did a reading that was awesome and during the unity candle we had Amber Vaughn sing 'When You Walked Into My Life'. She did an amazing job and it just added to the wonderfulness of thewhole thing. Then it was time for us to kiss and be announced husband and wife!! What a cool feeling that was!!! We walked back down the aisle arm and arm on our first journey of marriage!! God blessed us and stopped the rain for a little bit so that we could run out of the church with a giant pink umberella to get pictures. We then went to a few spots and took more pictures of just the two of us. Everyone thought we snuck off to do it, but I promise you that didn't happen!! Mike Queen even said something to me about that! I told him not yet...then I said, 'Inappropriate!' So yeah, I had a conversation about sex with my pastor standing in the church! We then headed back into the sanctuary for a few formal pictures. After that it was reception time, so we cleaned everything up at the church and everyone gathered their things, and then John, Ja, and I walked to Thalian. We immediately were taken in the Thalian theater and Sally conducted an AMAZING picture of us and all of our attendants seated in the theater. It is going to be unreal. Then we were introduced into the reception and I was blown away at the number of people!! We came into the Alan Parsons Project - Sirius, which is what the Bulls come into. It was great. We immediately blessed the food and got to eating. Ja and I started the line and the food was GREAT!! Angie did an awesome job! We headed to our table and tried to shove something in between talking to people. We then divided and conquered as we made our way around the room to talk to people. After that it was champagne toast and cake cutting and dances. We had a generations dance and Dinah and John Reece were the longest married couple with 43 years! Then it was time to get rowdy!! I got to spend a little bit of time talking to people and enjoying some beverages, but then it was time to rock out!! We had a dance party for the entire rest of the time! We did take time out to throw the bouquet, directly to Megan Davis!, and the garter, directly to Rick Parlow! We did the Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, and Cupid Shuffle amongst other bouts of ridiculousness. The night truly was the party we had hoped for. We had our last dance to Don't Stop Believin' by Journey and Friends in Low Places by Garth. Our exit was planned out with sparklers and we ran through the sparklers and it was so pretty. Then Ja realized everyone had about 2 minutes left so we proceeded to 'leave' about 5 times. The highlight of the night, however, happened when I decided it was a good idea to ride piggy back for our final exit. First jump, no luck. So Patrick yelled out, 'Hike that thing up.' I got as much dress as I could and jumped with all I had. In that process I jumped onto Ja's lower back causing him to stand straight up and then my foot swung and kicked his knee out from under him. Yep, we fell on our ass!! Will got a great picture of Ja's legs STRAIGHT up in the air. Mom got a good one of my face because I saw laughing so hard I couldn't breath. Once we got up and brushed ourselves off, we ran through for the final time (I think Jeffro won the sparkler game with the longest lasting sparkler) and I gave my dad a hug and he shook his head and said, 'Only you!'. We got in the car and drove to the Hilton. Everyone else was heading to Level 5 and we didn't want to miss any of that, so we pulled up and jumped out with all of our stuff and headed to the room. Ja had gotten flower petals and laid them all around the room and on the bed. It was absolutely gorgeous. He laid down on the bed for a second and I didn't know whether or not we were going to roll around now or later and so I said, 'So what are we doing?' to which he replied, 'If I take my pants off, we're not leaving.' I told him he better buckle that belt because we're going drankin'!! Rolling around can wait!! So we walked to Level 5 and met with everyone and proceeded to party until about 1:30 am. Everyone was amazing that a) I wore my dress to the bar and b) we were still up and partying at 1am. We were having such a great time and we'd never have everyone in the same place again, so we wanted to take advantage of it. We had a lot of drunken monologues of love that were priceless. We had a lot of dance parties and a lot of drinks! We stayed as long as we could, but we were exhausted and said our goodbyes and made the walk back (only after stopping at I Heart New York Pizza for a couple of slices). We got to the room and immediately took a shower. By the time I had brushed my teeth and gotten ready for bed, I came out and Ja was asleep. I took a picture because it was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. His left hand was above the pillow and his ring was shining while he was passed out from exhaustion.
Sunday and Monday - The rest of the weekend was awesome. We went to Wild Wing Cafe for lunch and Elijah's for dinner on Sunday. We were able to meet up with Greg and Michelle to retrieve Ja's phone and it was fun to rehash the weekend since Ja and I just kept talking and talking about how perfect everything was. We were able to relax and stay in bed and just be. It was an amazing way to recap the perfect weekend. Monday we loaded the car and headed to Mom and Deddy's to get the rest of our stuff. Mom had organized everything so we loaded our pile and took some of the food (including the banging cake we had!). We then stopped by Holly Tree to give Mom a hug and say thank you one more time before we headed out. Once we got home we spent some time with the boys and then tackled the gifts. We had a lot of gift cards and a lot of really great stuff. That night we headed to Target with a few of our returns and gift cards and loaded up on stuff we needed. It was awesome to get all of that stuff and only spend $1.04 out of pocket!! We came home and CRASHED. Didn't even take the time to unpack.
Tuesday - Monday night while we were at Target we came out and there was snow on the car. We looked at each other and said if this weekend is capped off with a delay or cancelled school...this is seriously going to be the most perfect weekend ever. We got a few calls at 5:30 to let us know we had a 3 hour delay. HALLELUJAH!!!! Going back to work was the LAST thing we wanted to do, so it was nice to have a few extra minutes of sleep to soften the blow. Tuesday night when we got home we headed to Bed, Bath, & Beyond for our second trip with returns and gift cards. We spent another good chunk and took it all home. I then decided at 10p it would be a good idea to clean out the old stuff and make room for the new. The kitchen looked like a disaster area. Everything was handwashed, the towels were washed and dried and things were starting to take shape. Still didn't unpack.
Wednesday - The one big thing we didn't have that I desperately needed was a vacuum cleaner. With two big dogs and cheap ass nylon carpet, vacuums fall victim at our house. Our old vacuum had to have a broom handle jammed down it twice for every room to unclog it. Awful. So Ja did some research and yesterday we went to Sam's (with yet another stack of gift cards) and got a DYSON!!!!!!! I am so stoked. I finished washing all of our dishes while Ja put the sucker together. I have never been more attracted to him then when he turned that bitch on and it sucked everthing up! I even used my fingers to see if I could rake up some carpet and dog hair like I normally can and NOTHING CAME UP!! I was so excited!! So now we have a stocked and cleaned out kitchen and a brand new vacuum and we finally unpacked!!
Our wedding weekend was absolutely perfect. We had a blast and are happier than ever. I just want to say another huge thank you to EVERYONE who made that weekend what it was.
Through it all I have learned three things:
1. I am madly and passionately in love with my husband and I have never been happier. I am very proud and honored to know that I get to spend my life beside him.
2. I had no idea how sexy Jason would be to me with that wedding ring on his finger!
3. DYSON'S KICK ASS!!!
Brad and Angelina Eat Your Hearts Out!
Original Post: March 1, 2009
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are here! We are officially married and I have never been happier in my life. The weekend was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and we have a lot of people to thank for that. We were overwhelmed with all of the friends and family around that kept saying how much they loved us. We are very loved and very lucky. Everything went off without a hitch and we are very married and very happy. Back to relaxing and enjoying a little bit of time together before it's back to life, back to reality! I'll give you a rundown later when I would rather be doing that than what I actually need to be doing. Right now I have better things to do than blog! ; )
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are here! We are officially married and I have never been happier in my life. The weekend was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and we have a lot of people to thank for that. We were overwhelmed with all of the friends and family around that kept saying how much they loved us. We are very loved and very lucky. Everything went off without a hitch and we are very married and very happy. Back to relaxing and enjoying a little bit of time together before it's back to life, back to reality! I'll give you a rundown later when I would rather be doing that than what I actually need to be doing. Right now I have better things to do than blog! ; )
Let The Games Begin!
Original Post: February 27, 2009
So, it's the day before my wedding. I've gotta be honest, I'm really ready for stuff to get moving, but I know once that starts it will be over so quickly. I got up this morning to say good bye to Jason as he headed out to play golf with Deddy, my brother-in-law Will, and one of his best friends, John. Got to be honest - it was good to get the men out of the house. Like Mom said, 'Thank God for golf!' So now we are just sitting around and hanging out with Anna as she is running around being ridiculous. She is reading her 'Pup' book right now and somewhat singing the alphabet song. Today on our docket is to get the bouquets made. We ordered the flowers and they arrived yesterday and have been in water to allow them to open up. I'm heading to the airport at 10:15 to pick up Mags. Then we are heading back here to help with the flowers. At 1:00 we're heading to the nail place to get our nails did. Then its back here to get showered and dressed and head to the church. Rehearsal starts at 5 and then we'll head to Hieronymus for the rehearsal dinner. I CANNOT wait for all of this to start!!
On a sad note, Mrs. Willie, who has worked at First Baptist Church for 30 years in the nursery passed away on Monday. I worked in the nursery for two years while I was in college and EVERYONE who had anything to do with children at that church loved Mrs. Willie. She has probably raised thousands of kids as they grew up through her nursery room. Since her beloved and very favorite grandson couldn't get here from California until today, the funeral is going to be tomorrow at the church. It is very bittersweet to me that Mrs. Willie is going to be buried on my wedding day. It is, however, the circle of life. Ones life ends as one life just begins. Mike Queen, our paster, said in his line of work he sees that often, but it is going to be an extremely emotional day for him. From one extreme to another. I will feel the whole day that Mrs. Willie is smiling on me. As the day begins, I couldn't be any happier than I am right now. I am so excited about seeing Jason tomorrow and getting to marry him and begin my life with him. My life couldn't get much better than it is right now!
So, it's the day before my wedding. I've gotta be honest, I'm really ready for stuff to get moving, but I know once that starts it will be over so quickly. I got up this morning to say good bye to Jason as he headed out to play golf with Deddy, my brother-in-law Will, and one of his best friends, John. Got to be honest - it was good to get the men out of the house. Like Mom said, 'Thank God for golf!' So now we are just sitting around and hanging out with Anna as she is running around being ridiculous. She is reading her 'Pup' book right now and somewhat singing the alphabet song. Today on our docket is to get the bouquets made. We ordered the flowers and they arrived yesterday and have been in water to allow them to open up. I'm heading to the airport at 10:15 to pick up Mags. Then we are heading back here to help with the flowers. At 1:00 we're heading to the nail place to get our nails did. Then its back here to get showered and dressed and head to the church. Rehearsal starts at 5 and then we'll head to Hieronymus for the rehearsal dinner. I CANNOT wait for all of this to start!!
On a sad note, Mrs. Willie, who has worked at First Baptist Church for 30 years in the nursery passed away on Monday. I worked in the nursery for two years while I was in college and EVERYONE who had anything to do with children at that church loved Mrs. Willie. She has probably raised thousands of kids as they grew up through her nursery room. Since her beloved and very favorite grandson couldn't get here from California until today, the funeral is going to be tomorrow at the church. It is very bittersweet to me that Mrs. Willie is going to be buried on my wedding day. It is, however, the circle of life. Ones life ends as one life just begins. Mike Queen, our paster, said in his line of work he sees that often, but it is going to be an extremely emotional day for him. From one extreme to another. I will feel the whole day that Mrs. Willie is smiling on me. As the day begins, I couldn't be any happier than I am right now. I am so excited about seeing Jason tomorrow and getting to marry him and begin my life with him. My life couldn't get much better than it is right now!
4 days...
Original Post: February 24, 2009
The countdown is getting really, really small!! We're down to 4 days ladies and gents!!
I've got to honestly say that this whole time I have never been nervous or anxious. I have just been really, really excited. Well that excitement is being mixed with a twinge of nerves. Everytime I said I wasn't nervous I said to check back with me closer to the time. Well that time is here!
I am not nervous what-so-ever about marrying Jason. He is the love of my life and my other half. What I am nervous about is how hard we have all worked to make this day incredible and I don't want to do anything to screw it up. I want to make sure that I have everything and it gets where it needs to get. This week has been crazy after work and that has cut down on our time a little bit. We still need to clean the house, clean the cars, pack, finish last minute stuff for different parts of the wedding. I'm pretty sure, though, no matter how much time you have to plan a wedding the week before always feels like this (unless you are totally uninvolved and have someone else doing it for you...which has certainly not been our case!). I just want to make sure that EVERYONE has a great weekend and it goes as smooth as possible and that everyone feels included and loved because they certainly wouldn't be there if we didn't want them to!!
I'm pretty sure I'll feel better once I get to Wilmington. That way everything we have here will be in its proper corner of the house to go to its location. Then I can have a true inventory of what has been done and what, if anything, is left to do. The plan is to get everything done here so that we can get to Wilmington by Wednesday night. If that doesn't happen, Thursday morning arrival will be our backup plan. Then it will be final touches and the good stuff! Like Mom said, 'We've worked too hard for this not to be stressful to get stressed out now!'
The countdown is getting really, really small!! We're down to 4 days ladies and gents!!
I've got to honestly say that this whole time I have never been nervous or anxious. I have just been really, really excited. Well that excitement is being mixed with a twinge of nerves. Everytime I said I wasn't nervous I said to check back with me closer to the time. Well that time is here!
I am not nervous what-so-ever about marrying Jason. He is the love of my life and my other half. What I am nervous about is how hard we have all worked to make this day incredible and I don't want to do anything to screw it up. I want to make sure that I have everything and it gets where it needs to get. This week has been crazy after work and that has cut down on our time a little bit. We still need to clean the house, clean the cars, pack, finish last minute stuff for different parts of the wedding. I'm pretty sure, though, no matter how much time you have to plan a wedding the week before always feels like this (unless you are totally uninvolved and have someone else doing it for you...which has certainly not been our case!). I just want to make sure that EVERYONE has a great weekend and it goes as smooth as possible and that everyone feels included and loved because they certainly wouldn't be there if we didn't want them to!!
I'm pretty sure I'll feel better once I get to Wilmington. That way everything we have here will be in its proper corner of the house to go to its location. Then I can have a true inventory of what has been done and what, if anything, is left to do. The plan is to get everything done here so that we can get to Wilmington by Wednesday night. If that doesn't happen, Thursday morning arrival will be our backup plan. Then it will be final touches and the good stuff! Like Mom said, 'We've worked too hard for this not to be stressful to get stressed out now!'
It's A Great Day In The Neighborhood!
Original Post: February 20, 2009
Today is a GREAT day for many reasons.
Reason #1: It is 11:10 right now and I am on my planning period, which means that I only have one more class and it's Alg II which is my favorite.
Reason #2: It's FRIDAY!!!
Reason #3: I have 8 days until I get married...YAY!!!!!!
Reason #4: As soon as school gets out I'm having all of my JV softball girls in my room to watch a video and then Ja is going to come and get me and we're heading to WINSTON!!!
Reason #5: Tonight we get to see Leslie, Will, and Banana Pants! She is amazingly ridiculous and one of my favorite little things in this world. I can't wait to just sit and watch her be so smart and so cute...but we have to be sure not to tell her that!
Reason #6: Tomorrow I get my hair did by Alex! He is amazingly talented with his scissors and his thumbs on the back of my head when he's washing my hair! All he's doing is a little trim and color, but he is a genius.
Reason #7: Tomorrow night I get to have to have dinner with Sherry!!! Once Sherry stopped working when she had William, we would have monthly marathon dinners. They usually start around 6 or 7 and then when the meal is over we head to the parking lot where we say our goodbyes that usually take about 2 hours. We just have so much in common and have shared so much with each other, so cramming a month into a meal is hard to do!!! Well tomorrow night will be the first Sherry and me dinner since I moved back to Wimington last summer. We have been up and have seen them, but the boys have been around, so that cuts down a bit on the 4 hour talks!! I am so excited to see her and to get to sit down and catch up!
Reason #8: Ja and I going to get pedicures on Saturday. I enjoy getting pedicures, but don't go often at all because I feel bad paying someone else to make my feet pretty. I know that's how they make a living, but I kind of feel like that is putting that person below me and it makes me feel awkward. Every once in a while I let my weirdness go and sit down and relax for a bit. Ja needs a pedicure so badly and has never had one, so we are going to spend an hour or so together just relaxing before next weeks craziness.
Reason #9: When we come back to school on Monday, I only have a three day work week!! We're taking Thursday and Friday off and we're heading to Wilmington Wednesday night. I can't wait to spend time with people and be able to tie up some loose ends in preparation for next weekend!!!!
Reason #10: This is my last weekend as a single girl...and I couldn't be happier. It feels pretty good to know that you have absolutely no desire to look anymore because you've found exactly what you want and need!!!
Today is a GREAT day for many reasons.
Reason #1: It is 11:10 right now and I am on my planning period, which means that I only have one more class and it's Alg II which is my favorite.
Reason #2: It's FRIDAY!!!
Reason #3: I have 8 days until I get married...YAY!!!!!!
Reason #4: As soon as school gets out I'm having all of my JV softball girls in my room to watch a video and then Ja is going to come and get me and we're heading to WINSTON!!!
Reason #5: Tonight we get to see Leslie, Will, and Banana Pants! She is amazingly ridiculous and one of my favorite little things in this world. I can't wait to just sit and watch her be so smart and so cute...but we have to be sure not to tell her that!
Reason #6: Tomorrow I get my hair did by Alex! He is amazingly talented with his scissors and his thumbs on the back of my head when he's washing my hair! All he's doing is a little trim and color, but he is a genius.
Reason #7: Tomorrow night I get to have to have dinner with Sherry!!! Once Sherry stopped working when she had William, we would have monthly marathon dinners. They usually start around 6 or 7 and then when the meal is over we head to the parking lot where we say our goodbyes that usually take about 2 hours. We just have so much in common and have shared so much with each other, so cramming a month into a meal is hard to do!!! Well tomorrow night will be the first Sherry and me dinner since I moved back to Wimington last summer. We have been up and have seen them, but the boys have been around, so that cuts down a bit on the 4 hour talks!! I am so excited to see her and to get to sit down and catch up!
Reason #8: Ja and I going to get pedicures on Saturday. I enjoy getting pedicures, but don't go often at all because I feel bad paying someone else to make my feet pretty. I know that's how they make a living, but I kind of feel like that is putting that person below me and it makes me feel awkward. Every once in a while I let my weirdness go and sit down and relax for a bit. Ja needs a pedicure so badly and has never had one, so we are going to spend an hour or so together just relaxing before next weeks craziness.
Reason #9: When we come back to school on Monday, I only have a three day work week!! We're taking Thursday and Friday off and we're heading to Wilmington Wednesday night. I can't wait to spend time with people and be able to tie up some loose ends in preparation for next weekend!!!!
Reason #10: This is my last weekend as a single girl...and I couldn't be happier. It feels pretty good to know that you have absolutely no desire to look anymore because you've found exactly what you want and need!!!
Sinus Infection...Again.
Original Post: February 19, 2009
Circa Christmas Eve 2008 (actually circa a couple of years ago, but that's another whole part of the story), I developed a sinus infection. I went to the doctor and got amoxicillan, which does NOTHING for me. So I called that in and got another antibiotic and it knocked my sinus infection out...for about a week. So I now have another few week old sinus infection and a wedding in 9 days. I know that's not the end of the world, but I don't want to feel like crap on that important day. I went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me some augmentin and prednisone and he said if I wasn't better by Monday to call him and we'd have to take another route.
I know there is a lot of bad stuff in this world and a lot of really sick people and I feel ridiculous for asking this, but please pray that this stuff works and I can experience next week without green stuff coming up when I cough and sneeze and blow my nose!!
If not, this is how next weekend is going to go.
Mike: Sarah, do you take Jason to be your lawfully wedded husband.
Me: I ::coughing, coughing, coughing:: do. ::Sneeze:: I will then need to use my hankerchief to wipe off the green blob of snot sitting on Ja's lapel.
That is so not sexy.
To avoid that, I would just really like to feel better, even if I go back to feeling bad after the wedding. So, if you think about it, say a little prayer.
Circa Christmas Eve 2008 (actually circa a couple of years ago, but that's another whole part of the story), I developed a sinus infection. I went to the doctor and got amoxicillan, which does NOTHING for me. So I called that in and got another antibiotic and it knocked my sinus infection out...for about a week. So I now have another few week old sinus infection and a wedding in 9 days. I know that's not the end of the world, but I don't want to feel like crap on that important day. I went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me some augmentin and prednisone and he said if I wasn't better by Monday to call him and we'd have to take another route.
I know there is a lot of bad stuff in this world and a lot of really sick people and I feel ridiculous for asking this, but please pray that this stuff works and I can experience next week without green stuff coming up when I cough and sneeze and blow my nose!!
If not, this is how next weekend is going to go.
Mike: Sarah, do you take Jason to be your lawfully wedded husband.
Me: I ::coughing, coughing, coughing:: do. ::Sneeze:: I will then need to use my hankerchief to wipe off the green blob of snot sitting on Ja's lapel.
That is so not sexy.
To avoid that, I would just really like to feel better, even if I go back to feeling bad after the wedding. So, if you think about it, say a little prayer.
T-Minus 9 Days!
Original Post: February 19
Ja and I have 9 days left to check the single box on forms. I have 9 days left to use 'Collins' as much as possible. I kind of feel like I need to mourn the loss of my last name. And oh what a good one it is!
I have been a Collins since I was thought about. I've been called Sarah Collins on the first day of every school year, I am Sarah Collins at the doctors office, and I am Ms. Collins at school.
Collins represents my Deddy and all of the strengths he has and passed down to me. I drive the way I drive because of Deddy. I have eyes like I do because of Deddy. I am very money conscious because of my Deddy. I work hard every day and understand the value of hard work because of my Deddy. I also get some of my smartass-ness from my Deddy. He's been dishin' it out to Mom for a long, long time!!
Collins also represents my mom and all that she has taught me and all she has done to help me become who I am. I am sassy because of my Mom. I am a smartass because of my Mom. I believe in myself because of my Mom. I understand the importance of being a smart, independent woman because of my Mom. I know the importance of being who you are no matter what from my Mom. There is a lot of hard work, confidence, and laughter that comes with the Collins name.
Being a Collins woman (which I will ALWAYS be) is something I am very proud of. Even when I take Jason's last name as my own, I will always be a Collins woman.
Ok, enough about that. I will become a Smith in a few days and I am happy about that, as well. You better believe though my name will be Sarah Collins Smith.
My mom sent me an email today with some great news! My all time favorite musician of all time, Edwin McCain, will be playing in Wilmington on February 28th. Even though I won't get to see him, just knowing that Edwin is a few minutes away just makes everything that much more incredible! Maybe he'll decide to go to Level 5 after he plays and we'll get to hang out!
Ja and I have 9 days left to check the single box on forms. I have 9 days left to use 'Collins' as much as possible. I kind of feel like I need to mourn the loss of my last name. And oh what a good one it is!
I have been a Collins since I was thought about. I've been called Sarah Collins on the first day of every school year, I am Sarah Collins at the doctors office, and I am Ms. Collins at school.
Collins represents my Deddy and all of the strengths he has and passed down to me. I drive the way I drive because of Deddy. I have eyes like I do because of Deddy. I am very money conscious because of my Deddy. I work hard every day and understand the value of hard work because of my Deddy. I also get some of my smartass-ness from my Deddy. He's been dishin' it out to Mom for a long, long time!!
Collins also represents my mom and all that she has taught me and all she has done to help me become who I am. I am sassy because of my Mom. I am a smartass because of my Mom. I believe in myself because of my Mom. I understand the importance of being a smart, independent woman because of my Mom. I know the importance of being who you are no matter what from my Mom. There is a lot of hard work, confidence, and laughter that comes with the Collins name.
Being a Collins woman (which I will ALWAYS be) is something I am very proud of. Even when I take Jason's last name as my own, I will always be a Collins woman.
Ok, enough about that. I will become a Smith in a few days and I am happy about that, as well. You better believe though my name will be Sarah Collins Smith.
My mom sent me an email today with some great news! My all time favorite musician of all time, Edwin McCain, will be playing in Wilmington on February 28th. Even though I won't get to see him, just knowing that Edwin is a few minutes away just makes everything that much more incredible! Maybe he'll decide to go to Level 5 after he plays and we'll get to hang out!
Crazy Dream
Original Post: February 14, 2009
I woke a few times last night in the midst of a crazy dream just to make sure it wasn't real. Luckily I was able to go back to sleep to get back into it and finish it out.
So in my dream I was in full wedding dress, veil, and hair-did. I looked in the mirror and realized I didn't have ny makeup. So I was going around trying to find Leslie or Mom to do my makeup and I realized I was at the reception - in my backyard!!! I found Leslie and she was trying to tell me that all I needed was my pink lipstick and when I told her I left it in Jacksonville, she just told me I was screwed and walked off. Then I realized that I didn't remember actually getting married. I started to ask people who were milling around in my driveway and they told me that we had indeed gotten married and that while I was walking down the aisle I was skipping and singing and trying to make my boobs bounce. With this I decided needed to lay down. When I got up I was looking around and couldn't find Ja anywhere. Then everyone came up to me and told me congratulations because they knew I was 3 weeks pregnant. This is where I woke up and almost threw up in my mouth. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT TRUE AT ALL SO DON'T EVEN GO THERE!
Ok, now that I got all of that down before I forgot, I'm off to get some errands run and to go see the doctor. I have ANOTHER freaking sinus infection. I need to go ahead and get some meds so I can run it out of my body since we get married in TWO WEEKS!!!!! Also, since we get married in t-minus 14 days, there are little things that still need to be done and with each little thing I do, I find a few more little things to need to happen to complete my first little thing. Oh, the joys of wedding planning!!
We're meeting with Kim Golder, our wedding director for First Baptist. What is really cool about Kim directing the wedding is that during college I babysat her triplets, Kenley, Clarie, and Jack, all the time. She is awesome and was one of the first people I called when we got engaged and got the church booked.
With only two weeks to go, I am not nervous one bit. I am just really, really excited. I am also trying to run through in my head (over and over again ) everything that we need to have finished by the wedding. I'm sure we'll miss something, but I'm going to do everything in my power to not have to drive back to Jacksonville Friday morning to retrieve lost items!!!
I woke a few times last night in the midst of a crazy dream just to make sure it wasn't real. Luckily I was able to go back to sleep to get back into it and finish it out.
So in my dream I was in full wedding dress, veil, and hair-did. I looked in the mirror and realized I didn't have ny makeup. So I was going around trying to find Leslie or Mom to do my makeup and I realized I was at the reception - in my backyard!!! I found Leslie and she was trying to tell me that all I needed was my pink lipstick and when I told her I left it in Jacksonville, she just told me I was screwed and walked off. Then I realized that I didn't remember actually getting married. I started to ask people who were milling around in my driveway and they told me that we had indeed gotten married and that while I was walking down the aisle I was skipping and singing and trying to make my boobs bounce. With this I decided needed to lay down. When I got up I was looking around and couldn't find Ja anywhere. Then everyone came up to me and told me congratulations because they knew I was 3 weeks pregnant. This is where I woke up and almost threw up in my mouth. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT TRUE AT ALL SO DON'T EVEN GO THERE!
Ok, now that I got all of that down before I forgot, I'm off to get some errands run and to go see the doctor. I have ANOTHER freaking sinus infection. I need to go ahead and get some meds so I can run it out of my body since we get married in TWO WEEKS!!!!! Also, since we get married in t-minus 14 days, there are little things that still need to be done and with each little thing I do, I find a few more little things to need to happen to complete my first little thing. Oh, the joys of wedding planning!!
We're meeting with Kim Golder, our wedding director for First Baptist. What is really cool about Kim directing the wedding is that during college I babysat her triplets, Kenley, Clarie, and Jack, all the time. She is awesome and was one of the first people I called when we got engaged and got the church booked.
With only two weeks to go, I am not nervous one bit. I am just really, really excited. I am also trying to run through in my head (over and over again ) everything that we need to have finished by the wedding. I'm sure we'll miss something, but I'm going to do everything in my power to not have to drive back to Jacksonville Friday morning to retrieve lost items!!!
Taylor Whitehead
Original Post: February 10, 2009
Some of you have heard Taylor's story, and some of you have not. Even though Ja and I are in a really, really exciting time in our life (18 days from today!!!!) it's still really important to remember those that are going through a rough time right now.
Taylor is Ja's best friend, Jeff's, baby girl. She was born on September 11, 2008 a happy and healthy baby. Over the course of the next few months, she would contract a heart virus that would cause her heart to enlarge and crush her lung. There was a time when she was having a hard time breathing and Jeff rushed her to the hospital with her not breathing in the back. She was admitted to the hospital and monitored, and then sent home. They were able to go to Ohio for Christmas and see Jeff's family. When they came back, they noticed that Taylor was really struggling to breath. The took her to the hospital on January 2nd and they sent her to Pitt Memorial in Greenville, NC. While Jeff was there with Taylor, he was talking to the doctor and noticed she stopped moving. The doctor finally saw it too and they realized she was coding. Jeff was ushered out of the room and a ton of nurses and doctors filed in. They worked on her for 13 minutes before they were able to get her back.With oxygen deprivation for that length of time, Taylor has suffered global brain damage. They are unsure, at this point, of the degree of this damage, but there is evidence that there is some. Taylor was at Pitt in the Pediatric ICU (PICU) for weeks before they moved her to Duke. She cannot swallow and they needed to surgically implant a g-tube so that she can be fed directly to her stomach. She also had a broviac tube surgically implanted so that they could administer her heart medicine directly to her heart. As of right now, her heart is working at 35% capacity. Taylor has a long road ahead of her, but she is a fighter. Jeff and Tammy are both teachers in Onslow county and also have two little boys, Tanner (our ring bearer!) and Tate. All three of their kids are under 4. For as long as they could, Jeff and Tammy both stayed with Taylor daily. Jeff's parents have flown in to help and they have a lot of local family that are doing what they can. Jeff is back to school every day during the week, except for Wednesdays, when he gets to go see Taylor in Durham. A lot of people around the county have contributed leave days to Tammy, which are going to allow her to stay with Taylor for a while. They do their best to make it home so that they can spend time with Tate and Tanner, also.
This is a really tough time for their family, but all anyone can really do right now is just pray. Pray that doctors are seeing everything they need to and they are doing all they can to help Taylor recover from this.
Jeff's family in Ohio are keeping up a blog to help everyone stay up to date with Taylor and not have to go through Jeff and Tammy. This has been an awesome resource and a really great way to stay current with their situation. If you get a sec, take a look at it and please, please, please send some prayers their way. They can use all they can get!!
With Jeff being one of Ja's groomsmen and Tanner being our ring bearer, we were thinking that they weren't going to be a part of the wedding. With all they have going on, our wedding is the last thing they need to be worried about. We got some good news a couple of days ago that Jeff's mom is coming back and she is going to to stay with Taylor so that Jeff, Tammy, and Tanner can come to the wedding. We are so glad they are going to be a part of our celebration and I can only pray that they are able to enjoy their time together. They haven't had much but hospitals in these past couple of months and I really hope they are able to enjoy a little break, that I'm sure both of them need.
Some of you have heard Taylor's story, and some of you have not. Even though Ja and I are in a really, really exciting time in our life (18 days from today!!!!) it's still really important to remember those that are going through a rough time right now.
Taylor is Ja's best friend, Jeff's, baby girl. She was born on September 11, 2008 a happy and healthy baby. Over the course of the next few months, she would contract a heart virus that would cause her heart to enlarge and crush her lung. There was a time when she was having a hard time breathing and Jeff rushed her to the hospital with her not breathing in the back. She was admitted to the hospital and monitored, and then sent home. They were able to go to Ohio for Christmas and see Jeff's family. When they came back, they noticed that Taylor was really struggling to breath. The took her to the hospital on January 2nd and they sent her to Pitt Memorial in Greenville, NC. While Jeff was there with Taylor, he was talking to the doctor and noticed she stopped moving. The doctor finally saw it too and they realized she was coding. Jeff was ushered out of the room and a ton of nurses and doctors filed in. They worked on her for 13 minutes before they were able to get her back.With oxygen deprivation for that length of time, Taylor has suffered global brain damage. They are unsure, at this point, of the degree of this damage, but there is evidence that there is some. Taylor was at Pitt in the Pediatric ICU (PICU) for weeks before they moved her to Duke. She cannot swallow and they needed to surgically implant a g-tube so that she can be fed directly to her stomach. She also had a broviac tube surgically implanted so that they could administer her heart medicine directly to her heart. As of right now, her heart is working at 35% capacity. Taylor has a long road ahead of her, but she is a fighter. Jeff and Tammy are both teachers in Onslow county and also have two little boys, Tanner (our ring bearer!) and Tate. All three of their kids are under 4. For as long as they could, Jeff and Tammy both stayed with Taylor daily. Jeff's parents have flown in to help and they have a lot of local family that are doing what they can. Jeff is back to school every day during the week, except for Wednesdays, when he gets to go see Taylor in Durham. A lot of people around the county have contributed leave days to Tammy, which are going to allow her to stay with Taylor for a while. They do their best to make it home so that they can spend time with Tate and Tanner, also.
This is a really tough time for their family, but all anyone can really do right now is just pray. Pray that doctors are seeing everything they need to and they are doing all they can to help Taylor recover from this.
Jeff's family in Ohio are keeping up a blog to help everyone stay up to date with Taylor and not have to go through Jeff and Tammy. This has been an awesome resource and a really great way to stay current with their situation. If you get a sec, take a look at it and please, please, please send some prayers their way. They can use all they can get!!
With Jeff being one of Ja's groomsmen and Tanner being our ring bearer, we were thinking that they weren't going to be a part of the wedding. With all they have going on, our wedding is the last thing they need to be worried about. We got some good news a couple of days ago that Jeff's mom is coming back and she is going to to stay with Taylor so that Jeff, Tammy, and Tanner can come to the wedding. We are so glad they are going to be a part of our celebration and I can only pray that they are able to enjoy their time together. They haven't had much but hospitals in these past couple of months and I really hope they are able to enjoy a little break, that I'm sure both of them need.
TGI Friday!
Original Post: February 6, 2009
We've made it. Another week down, just a few more to go! We have some goodness planned for this weekend. A little high school basketball tonight. A little wedding work this weekend. Some house cleaning. A trip to Wilmington. All of the above make me happy right now. I'm glad to finish out this tough week with a smile on my face and renewed energy for the weekend with my future husband! All I need is a good glass of wine or one of Ja's famous glasses of fruity goodness and I am set.
Sally
Original Post: February 5, 2009
Our lovely, amazing, talented, wonderful, awesome, incredible photographer, Sally Gupton has a new wedding website. If you know of anyone who is getting married, or just got engaged, or is having a baby, or has a baby, or just fell in love, or a whole list of life events - you need to get Sally Gupton to take your pictures. She does a lot of different work, but this is a website she just got started for her wedding portraiture. Check it out.
Love, love, love her.
Our lovely, amazing, talented, wonderful, awesome, incredible photographer, Sally Gupton has a new wedding website. If you know of anyone who is getting married, or just got engaged, or is having a baby, or has a baby, or just fell in love, or a whole list of life events - you need to get Sally Gupton to take your pictures. She does a lot of different work, but this is a website she just got started for her wedding portraiture. Check it out.
Love, love, love her.
23 days to go...
Original Post: February 5, 2009
Time is flying!! We have three weekends and then it is THE weekend. Yesterday I drove to Wilmington right after school and met mom at David's. We left my dress with them a few weeks ago to be bustled and I had to go for my 'final fitting'. It was as beautiful yesterday as it was the first time I saw it. Hopefully I'll be able to drop a few last minue pounds just to make it that much more comfortable.
Jason has been trying to guess what it looks like and so far all I've told him is that it is black and has a turtle neck. It also has long sleeves, but there is a diamond cut out for my cleave. He is really excited. This is kind of what it looks like, just add the neck and sleeves.
Time is flying!! We have three weekends and then it is THE weekend. Yesterday I drove to Wilmington right after school and met mom at David's. We left my dress with them a few weeks ago to be bustled and I had to go for my 'final fitting'. It was as beautiful yesterday as it was the first time I saw it. Hopefully I'll be able to drop a few last minue pounds just to make it that much more comfortable.
Jason has been trying to guess what it looks like and so far all I've told him is that it is black and has a turtle neck. It also has long sleeves, but there is a diamond cut out for my cleave. He is really excited. This is kind of what it looks like, just add the neck and sleeves.
I've decided I'm going to rock the black veil, also. Sometime between now and then I'm planning on getting the same heart tattoo that this chick has to make the look complete. Man am I going to look HOT!!! Jason is a lucky, lucky man.
I'm so ready for February 28th!!!!! This coming weekend Ja and I are going to just hang out and spend some much needed time together. Sunday we are going to get up and go to the new church we have found in Jacksonville. After we grab some lunch we are going to head to Wilmington because I'm going to meet with Johnna for our trail run for my hair!! She is so talented and I can't wait until she works on me. We talked last night about the schedule for the day of the wedding and all I really remember is hearing something about champagne and mimosas being served while I'm getting my hair done. I am so down with that. I am getting more and more excited every day!!
Let's Try This Again
Original Post: January 29, 2009
I can't believe that we have less than a month left. We have now been engaged for a little over 13 months and it seems like not too long ago Ja was on his knee! There have been a lot of great things happen in these past 13 months and I can't wait to see what else is waiting for us.
In 30 days I get to marry my best friend. Even though there are times I want to just pinch his head off, I will still love him until the day that I die. I never really thought I'd find anyone that could put up with me, but I've found so much more than that. He makes me laugh, he holds me when I cry, he keeps me in check, and he makes me feel loved every day. I am a very blessed soul.
As far as the wedding planning goes, we are down to the nitty-gritty details. We're working on things to go in the hotel room baskets, and things that are going to be displayed at the reception, along with a million other things! We are really excited about the people we're working with. Angie is going to do our catering. She is Greek and she doesn't play around. She has a job to do and she won't let anyone stop her from doing it. She and Mom have worked together often and she loves the way she gets things done. We can be assured that the food will be amazing and beautiful. Jason Tatum is going to be our dj and I am so excited that he is going to be in control of that music and the tempo and vibe of the night. Ja and I met with him a couple of weekends ago and it is a perfect match. We finished our business stuff in about 30 minutes, but stayed around for a while longer just talking about random stuff. He is going to be exactly what we want him to be that night. We are also VERY VERY fortunate to have one of the most amazing photographers I've ever seen take photos of that amazing day. Sally Gupton is extremely gifted and a very talented artist. She calls herself a photo journalist because all she believes she is there for is to be able to tell the story of the day through pictures. She took my bridal portraits and they were way beyond my wildest dream. Deddy even told me he didn't know I could look that good! I guess when you do a doo-doo roll on your head every day and then you put on a gorgeous gown and wear lipstick, things are a bit different!! She is really excited about being able to shoot in Wilmington and her excitement just adds that much more to mine!!
Since our day is in very professional hands, I am only excited about that day. I am not nervous. I am not anxious. All I feel is 100% excitement. (Talk to me on that day and I'll let you know if that is still true!!!) I honestly can't wait for that day! I never knew that my heart could be as full as it is right now. I get to marry the love of my life. I get to spend lots of time with my family getting ready for this big day. In one weekend, Ja and I will have all the people we love in one room. That is going to be very overwhelming but very fantastic at the same time. I can't wait to have everyone together and just have a great time.
I can't believe that we have less than a month left. We have now been engaged for a little over 13 months and it seems like not too long ago Ja was on his knee! There have been a lot of great things happen in these past 13 months and I can't wait to see what else is waiting for us.
In 30 days I get to marry my best friend. Even though there are times I want to just pinch his head off, I will still love him until the day that I die. I never really thought I'd find anyone that could put up with me, but I've found so much more than that. He makes me laugh, he holds me when I cry, he keeps me in check, and he makes me feel loved every day. I am a very blessed soul.
As far as the wedding planning goes, we are down to the nitty-gritty details. We're working on things to go in the hotel room baskets, and things that are going to be displayed at the reception, along with a million other things! We are really excited about the people we're working with. Angie is going to do our catering. She is Greek and she doesn't play around. She has a job to do and she won't let anyone stop her from doing it. She and Mom have worked together often and she loves the way she gets things done. We can be assured that the food will be amazing and beautiful. Jason Tatum is going to be our dj and I am so excited that he is going to be in control of that music and the tempo and vibe of the night. Ja and I met with him a couple of weekends ago and it is a perfect match. We finished our business stuff in about 30 minutes, but stayed around for a while longer just talking about random stuff. He is going to be exactly what we want him to be that night. We are also VERY VERY fortunate to have one of the most amazing photographers I've ever seen take photos of that amazing day. Sally Gupton is extremely gifted and a very talented artist. She calls herself a photo journalist because all she believes she is there for is to be able to tell the story of the day through pictures. She took my bridal portraits and they were way beyond my wildest dream. Deddy even told me he didn't know I could look that good! I guess when you do a doo-doo roll on your head every day and then you put on a gorgeous gown and wear lipstick, things are a bit different!! She is really excited about being able to shoot in Wilmington and her excitement just adds that much more to mine!!
Since our day is in very professional hands, I am only excited about that day. I am not nervous. I am not anxious. All I feel is 100% excitement. (Talk to me on that day and I'll let you know if that is still true!!!) I honestly can't wait for that day! I never knew that my heart could be as full as it is right now. I get to marry the love of my life. I get to spend lots of time with my family getting ready for this big day. In one weekend, Ja and I will have all the people we love in one room. That is going to be very overwhelming but very fantastic at the same time. I can't wait to have everyone together and just have a great time.
AMAZING!!
So after sobbing last night into my husband's shoulder for a bit as I mourn the lost of my blog and the posts and the amazing events it chroniced, I decided today that I just needed to get over it. I googled getting deleted blogs back and pretty much I got a bunch of people saying that it doesn't happen very often. I was just about to chalk it up to a bad day and start blogging about events that are to come, when I got the most amazing email I've gotten in a long time!! A long time friend and one of my all time favorite people, Mrs. Hannah Audrey Austin Arrington, somehow has my blog and is able to take screen shots and email them to me!!!!!!! I got the email while I was in class, but I was about to scream and cry all at the same time. I held it together and now I am working on saving the shots from my email so that I can go back and type them back in!! It's going to take a while and a lot of hard work from both of us to get them back up, but I will soon have my blog back!! I never knew it meant that much to me, until I lost it!!
Hallelujah!!
Hallelujah!!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
What A Great Few Weeks
Some congratulations are in order...not to me, but to Greg and Michelle (Geg and Chell to Banana Pants) because they are ENGAGED!!!!! This past weekend Greg, with ring in tow!, and Michelle went on Michelle's first ski trip. They went to Sugar Mountain (with their Sugar...haha, Michelle) and Greg bopped around on his skis while Michelle rocked out on the snowboard. After eating it coming off of the ski lifts, she successfully managed to become a snowboarder! Thankfully they ended the day before anyone broke or tore anything. After that they headed to Appalachian State's campus where they headed to a gazebo that is over a creek that runs through campus and it was there that Greg asked her to be his wife!! Everyone, except for Will, made it over last night to have a celebratory dinner for the happy couple! One wedding down, one to go! We've got December 19th marked down on our calendar and we couldn't be happier!
Congratulations you two!!!!
Congratulations you two!!!!
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