Follow my blog with BloglovinI was going to get in to how horribly I have been eating lately...how after the wedding I have continuously been over my calorie count, even though I specifically told myself that my weight loss was NOT just to fit into a dress for one day of my life. But there isn't much more to say about that. I need to stop with the excuses and put healthy food in my body. I feel better when I eat better. I feel better when I make time to work out. There are no good excuses for how I have been treating my body. Hopefully booking a honeymoon will be what I need to remind myself that this journey of health is far from over!
In other news - school absolutely sucks this week. We have our final, a grant proposal presentation (what is that? I have not the slightest idea...so that's good), and an outline for our thesis. Summer school sucks, people. It is cruel and unusual punishment, especially for those of us who want our jobs because we want summers off! After a very long year of classes and wedding planning, I am burnt out. There is very little motivation for me to do well on any of these assignments, even though I know how important they are! Fingers crossed that I can push through. Maybe some coffee when I get home will help me focus/study/get sh*t done!
The good news is that Dan FINALLLLLLY got his passport stuff figured out and sent in! Praise baby Jesus. It has been a headache! Next on our agenda, then, is deciding on a honeymoon spot. We are currently deciding between the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Any suggestions?! Either way, it is going to be an all-inclusive resort, for hopefully 10 days! (since 2 days will be travel...and this year has been extra busy...we need it, I promise). Getting it all booked will be such a relief! I cannot wait to have absolutely no cares with my hubby!
Also - Brenna will be here by the 7th! My SIL is being induced on the 6th, so unless Brenna decides to make her appearance early, without the help of modern medicine (fingers crossed), she should be born sometime on 7/7! This aunt cannot wait for another beautiful niece to spoil! It's what I do best!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Pathetic attempt to run outside
This girl thought it would be a good idea to try and run outside. Don't get me wrong. I have "run" outside before. It was always more of a run/walk where I would try to "run" to a certain driveway, then walk to another driveway, then run, and so on. Since January, I have been running regularly. We got a treadmill, so I really utilized it for my weight loss. I should mention (as a side note). I had a goal of losing 15 lbs for our wedding. I ended up getting down about 20 lbs, which I never really imagined would happen. Now that the wedding is over, I am NOT gaining that weight back. Period. Plus, it would be super nice to tone up a bit more before our honeymoon! This gal wants to feel GREAT in a bikini.
So anyway - I have still been running on the treadmill. Since January, I have made it so that I can run (read - jog) 2 miles without stopping on the treadmill! I have run a 9:30 mile a few times. On Monday, I went a total of 3 miles (with some walking). These are HUGE accomplishments for me! I thought outside would be a fun change of scenery. It is HARD! I had to walk after .8 of a mile. And a few more times. I made it 2 miles, with an 11:30 average (but that was with walking...so it wasn't HORRIBLE). I guess the hills threw me off. One huge plus was the breeze - it felt amazing as I was running! I may have to try and make this part of my routine a few days a week so that I can get the hang of it!
So anyway - I have still been running on the treadmill. Since January, I have made it so that I can run (read - jog) 2 miles without stopping on the treadmill! I have run a 9:30 mile a few times. On Monday, I went a total of 3 miles (with some walking). These are HUGE accomplishments for me! I thought outside would be a fun change of scenery. It is HARD! I had to walk after .8 of a mile. And a few more times. I made it 2 miles, with an 11:30 average (but that was with walking...so it wasn't HORRIBLE). I guess the hills threw me off. One huge plus was the breeze - it felt amazing as I was running! I may have to try and make this part of my routine a few days a week so that I can get the hang of it!
 |
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Say my name, say my name!
Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending 4 freaking hours of my life driving around the greater Florissant area to change my name. Let me just begin by saying, if the belief that marriage is truly "until death do us part" was not enough, this changing of my name hassle definitely solidifies that Dan is stuck with me. Forever. I am NEVER doing this again.
Last week, I ordered a "name change kit," which I still feel like was mostly worth it... They sent me all of the paperwork, with directions, for all of the places I need to contact to change my name. I found that helpful. They sent paperwork for my Social Security Card, my license, my passport, and general forms to use to let school, the bank, everyone else know my name has changed. I got all of the paperwork filled out over the weekend, so I was ready to go yesterday!
After my run, I showered and hit the road. I started off strong at the Social Security Office. It did take 30 min of waiting (which, btw...you have to be on your game there! You sign in on a computer with your reason for being there, they give you a number, and you wait...BUT! they have 3 different number systems going on. The whole time you are waiting, you have to stay focused or you'll miss it! "172 to window 2, S331 to the door, G14 to window 4." It was a busy place). The workers were friendly, though, and it was easy to get everything figured out. My new SS card should be arriving in 10-ish days.
Next was the freaking "licensing center." In IL that is known as the DMV...so you know it was fun. um. not. Changing the name on my car title was easy-peasy, but getting in the second line to get my new license turned into a freaking cluster efff. Apparently, to change my name, I needed a piece of mail. Now, I should have probably verified on their website...I get it...but my kit did NOT mention this! They have already verified my address, that's how it is on my license. So I went to the car to find a random piece of mail - woo! a sallie mae statement. "We can't use this, it is over 60 days old." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! You realize my car title/registration that you all JUST gave me over there has this address, my license has this address, my marriage license has this address, that sallie mae bill has this address. Nope. Not good enough. YOU SUCK.
So I gave up and went to the post office. You know the world is not right when the post office people are the highlight of your day. Super friendly. I feel like they always are at this post office, and I really appreciate that. I had all my paperwork filled out, so they took me in the back, took my new passport photo, made sure I had everything I needed, charged me nearly an arm and a leg for the picture and first class mail, and sent it off. Easy as pie. I appreciated that experience.
I was feeling good again! So I went home to grab a more recent sallie mae statement, and something that the bank had sent me, and went to a different licensing office (the perks of living in a big city...they are thrown about). Anyways, I showed up, and what I brought wasn't good enough. At least this lady was nice about it. Apparently, in Jan, MO decided you needed a mailed bank statement, a mailed paystub, a mailed utility bill, a voter registration card, or a mailed mortgage statement. Well, guess what. My bank statements are all electronic, along with my paystubs (hello! have you heard of being green?!) I couldn't tell you where my voter registration card is. Oops. My name is not on a single bill that comes to our house. The friendly lady told me to go to the bank and have them print something out. Now I am just going to go ahead and say it. That makes absolutely NO sense to me. I also overheard someone saying "well, if you live with so and so, you can bring their mail with a statement that you live with them." Oh, yeah, that makes sense! A note from some rando is better than my student loan statements. MO, you are DUMB! So I begrudgingly went to the bank...which was an experience in and of itself. The lady was all sorts of confused. She wanted me to go change my license name so she could change the name at the bank. Well, darling, that won't work...I need this first! After she figured it all out, she got a statement printed for me. I went back to the licensing office, she scanned the stupid thing, and said my license will have the same picture, the name will change, and it will be here in 10-ish days.
It. Was. A. Ridiculous. Day.
So yeah, I stopped by the ice cream place that I literally passed 6 times for dinner. I couldn't help it. I needed it. And it was good.
Last week, I ordered a "name change kit," which I still feel like was mostly worth it... They sent me all of the paperwork, with directions, for all of the places I need to contact to change my name. I found that helpful. They sent paperwork for my Social Security Card, my license, my passport, and general forms to use to let school, the bank, everyone else know my name has changed. I got all of the paperwork filled out over the weekend, so I was ready to go yesterday!
After my run, I showered and hit the road. I started off strong at the Social Security Office. It did take 30 min of waiting (which, btw...you have to be on your game there! You sign in on a computer with your reason for being there, they give you a number, and you wait...BUT! they have 3 different number systems going on. The whole time you are waiting, you have to stay focused or you'll miss it! "172 to window 2, S331 to the door, G14 to window 4." It was a busy place). The workers were friendly, though, and it was easy to get everything figured out. My new SS card should be arriving in 10-ish days.
Next was the freaking "licensing center." In IL that is known as the DMV...so you know it was fun. um. not. Changing the name on my car title was easy-peasy, but getting in the second line to get my new license turned into a freaking cluster efff. Apparently, to change my name, I needed a piece of mail. Now, I should have probably verified on their website...I get it...but my kit did NOT mention this! They have already verified my address, that's how it is on my license. So I went to the car to find a random piece of mail - woo! a sallie mae statement. "We can't use this, it is over 60 days old." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! You realize my car title/registration that you all JUST gave me over there has this address, my license has this address, my marriage license has this address, that sallie mae bill has this address. Nope. Not good enough. YOU SUCK.
So I gave up and went to the post office. You know the world is not right when the post office people are the highlight of your day. Super friendly. I feel like they always are at this post office, and I really appreciate that. I had all my paperwork filled out, so they took me in the back, took my new passport photo, made sure I had everything I needed, charged me nearly an arm and a leg for the picture and first class mail, and sent it off. Easy as pie. I appreciated that experience.
I was feeling good again! So I went home to grab a more recent sallie mae statement, and something that the bank had sent me, and went to a different licensing office (the perks of living in a big city...they are thrown about). Anyways, I showed up, and what I brought wasn't good enough. At least this lady was nice about it. Apparently, in Jan, MO decided you needed a mailed bank statement, a mailed paystub, a mailed utility bill, a voter registration card, or a mailed mortgage statement. Well, guess what. My bank statements are all electronic, along with my paystubs (hello! have you heard of being green?!) I couldn't tell you where my voter registration card is. Oops. My name is not on a single bill that comes to our house. The friendly lady told me to go to the bank and have them print something out. Now I am just going to go ahead and say it. That makes absolutely NO sense to me. I also overheard someone saying "well, if you live with so and so, you can bring their mail with a statement that you live with them." Oh, yeah, that makes sense! A note from some rando is better than my student loan statements. MO, you are DUMB! So I begrudgingly went to the bank...which was an experience in and of itself. The lady was all sorts of confused. She wanted me to go change my license name so she could change the name at the bank. Well, darling, that won't work...I need this first! After she figured it all out, she got a statement printed for me. I went back to the licensing office, she scanned the stupid thing, and said my license will have the same picture, the name will change, and it will be here in 10-ish days.
It. Was. A. Ridiculous. Day.
So yeah, I stopped by the ice cream place that I literally passed 6 times for dinner. I couldn't help it. I needed it. And it was good.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Why we're waiting.
So when everyone tells you that once you're married, EVERYONE AND THEIR MOM wants to know when you are going to start popping out kids, they aren't lying. My grandpa asked my mom, as I was standing there, "so when is she going to have a baby?" Hey! I am right here. Also, not yet.
Now, don't get me wrong. I can barely wait to be a mom. Dan and I want a family. He is going to be such a great father. Seeing him with Aidan as she has grown up, really showed me that he will love playing with his kids, but he will know when it is time to be serious. I also like to believe that I will be an OK mom ;)
But here is the deal - I can't be the best mom I can be until I graduate and get a job. I was not happy with my career options with my bachelor degree, so I am back in school getting my Master's in Clinical Child Psychology and my Specialist in Education for School Psychology. With another year of classes, and an entire school year of internship to go, now is not the time to have a baby. School is hard enough as it is ;) Plus, I don't think having a big ol' prego belly when I am applying for either internship or a real job will help me get said internship or job. To me - having a career is important. I need to do this so that I feel fulfilled, and that will allow me to be the best mom I can be, when the time comes. With my career path, I will be on a school schedule, so it will work out perfectly as our children get older.
After school, when I have a job, we will decide when the right time to start our family is :) And though we are excited for that chapter of our lives, we are going to enjoy just being an "us" for a little while longer!
Now, don't get me wrong. I can barely wait to be a mom. Dan and I want a family. He is going to be such a great father. Seeing him with Aidan as she has grown up, really showed me that he will love playing with his kids, but he will know when it is time to be serious. I also like to believe that I will be an OK mom ;)
But here is the deal - I can't be the best mom I can be until I graduate and get a job. I was not happy with my career options with my bachelor degree, so I am back in school getting my Master's in Clinical Child Psychology and my Specialist in Education for School Psychology. With another year of classes, and an entire school year of internship to go, now is not the time to have a baby. School is hard enough as it is ;) Plus, I don't think having a big ol' prego belly when I am applying for either internship or a real job will help me get said internship or job. To me - having a career is important. I need to do this so that I feel fulfilled, and that will allow me to be the best mom I can be, when the time comes. With my career path, I will be on a school schedule, so it will work out perfectly as our children get older.
After school, when I have a job, we will decide when the right time to start our family is :) And though we are excited for that chapter of our lives, we are going to enjoy just being an "us" for a little while longer!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
#gradschoolproblems
Yep. Grad school problems.
- having to take a summer class...
- having to write a grant proposal for said class
- and having to present said proposal to the class
- having to start my lit review for my thesis
- having to research a prevention program
- and having to present the program to the class
- having to actually do stuff for my assistantships
- aka sit through the same undergrad class I have now sat through 3 times
- having to tutor an undergrad on said stats
- having to train DCFS workers on some video equipment for a video visitation grant I am working on
- having to send about a million emails that everyone ignores
- having to call judges/attorneys/CASA volunteers to conduct an interview
- HAVING CLASS FOR 8 HOURS ON FREAKING FRIDAYS!
OK - maybe it isn't THAT BAD. But let's remember...a huge plus of this school psych degree will be having summers OFF. I am not loving all this WORK! I have trashy TV to catch up on, a house to clean, and pinterest crafts to do! uhthankyouverymuch.
Though, without grad school, this hilarious ecard would not have made me laugh uncontrollably last night :)
Hopefully "Food Truck Friday" (yes-it's a real thing...I will tell you all about it later!) and Melissa's final fling before her ring will cheer me up! (then make me feel even more ridiculously behind in school...but that's a problem for next week!)
This gal cannot wait for our honeymoon at the end of July! 10 days with NO CARES! sign me up!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Life as a Mrs!
Oh, people. I have been married for over a week. My house/kitchen is a disaster area. I think it's time to move...or completely redo our kitchen/get rid of our dining room. There is just not enough space here for all of our goodies! Somebody who enjoys organizing/tetris should probably come help me out. I am struggling!
Besides the MESS (and let's be honest...I can live with a mess...), married life is pretty awesome. It is really similar to "before-married" life. Guess that happens when you have been living together for 3 years ;). But it's still pretty great. We have been trying to make some "date" efforts. We went to the zoo. We took the dogs to a park we have never been to and took them on a long walk on a trail. We have been out to dinner. We have spent some "turn off our phones and watch this movie" time together. It has been fun taking the time to really just enjoy each other. I guess a wedding can remind you what is important in a relationship!
Last night we went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and spent over $800 (after a 20% off everything discount). Oops. That's what happens when we got a lot of cash for the wedding! We had to buy 11 sets of our dishes because we only got 1 set...haha. Then we got some new utensils for our new pots/pans, a new cast iron skillet, a pressure cooker, a large stock pot with a strainer (I AM SO STOKED ABOUT THIS THING, PEOPLE!), some new pillows (decorative and useful), a new blanket, some bake ware, new measuring cups, luggage, and more! SO. MUCH. GOOD. STUFF! I was really excited for it all, and I think Dan is pretty happy with all of our stuff! (This brings me back to the whole "no room in the kitchen" problem - really...someone come help me!)
 |
| new place settings! we need to have a dinner party! |
 |
| my gorgeous new dutch oven! |
 |
| our big stock pot with strainer! |
 |
| new bedding! love! |
Because - oh yeah, I am a grad student! and I am slacking horribly. This summer, we have a bunch of articles to read, 2 presentations to give, a research paper to write, and a grant proposal to research/write. I am tired just thinking about it. I need to get started - ugh! That on top of my 2 assistantships is keeping me pretty busy. I can't wait for mid July - mid August. A complete BREAK! Yes, please.
Other life is also continuing. Shocking. (just kidding!) On Saturday we celebrated my SIL, Lauren, and my new niece, Brenna at a baby shower. It was a lot of fun! I really can't wait to hold/kiss/squeeze that precious baby girl! Aidan is my favorite person in the whole world, so I really can't wait for a second one to love just as much! Plus, Sara's precious Cecelia has decided she wants to keep growing up, walking and whatnot, so little Brenna will give me my "wittle baby" fix!
 |
| the mama-to-be! |
 |
| niece #1 is getting WAY too big! |
Well, I think I have blabbered on enough. I should probably get back to our "thank yous!"
Monday, June 3, 2013
Officially a Mrs!
People. I am MARRIED! Today, I am going to try and recap the day - I really want to have some details written down so that later I can remind myself. Before I get into details, I will say, there were ups and downs. There were moments I was ANGRY, but that's who I am, I guess. I get slightly frustrated when I feel as thought people are trying to "baby" or protect me, and I get straight up angry when I don't think people are really listening to me. But two times during a 16 hour day is NOT BAD! ;) Overall, it was everything I wanted - we were surrounded by so many people that loved us, the ceremony was pretty quick and painless ;), and I had a blast at the reception - and everyone I talked to at least lied and said they did, too!
I should begin with the day before. There was tux fitting stress. There was a missing deposit check. There seemed to just be a lot of stress. I was not in the best mood that day, to be honest. Which is kind of a let down because I told myself that I would be happy either way, but there is just A LOT to deal with the day before. It kind of sucks. Things began to slightly improve by the rehearsal. Prior - I took some time to get ready with Melissa and Sarah and just try to relax. During the rehearsal, I cried like a huge baby - it was extremely emotional, and I'm not sure why! I got frustrated with the lack of support/help from some people, but I was reminded that those that have been extremely helpful and supportive throughout the whole process completely make up for it. Also, my aunt gave me beautiful claddagh earrings that my grandmother had given her on her wedding eve. It meant so much to me. I will treasure them forever.
So I woke up at 5am, looked at my clock, and realized I had an hour and 45 minutes to continue to sleep. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. At 6am, I was up for good. I tried to eat a banana and a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. I forced down half a bagel and half a banana. So. Not. Hungry. I got dressed, made myself a mimosa, and headed off to the salon with Dani. We stopped at Sbux, where I got a free drink. Love. Zach's mom did my hair and make-up, and I was very happy with it! Bonnie is so sweet/supportive/fun! The hour and a half went by quickly and it was stress-free. I loved it! After our hair, we headed back to the hotel to get dressed.
This is when the first stressor hit. My dad had to be in Champaign at 9:15 to pick up a tux that Michelle's effffffed up. When he picked it up, there was not shirt, vest, or tie in the bag. They assured my dad that we already had all of that - we didn't. They specifically told us to leave it the day before so that they could put it all in one bag. No one wanted to tell me we were missing all of this stuff, so when they finally did, everyone went into a chorus of "it will be OK...it will all work out." I had my first break down. I told everyone that I did not want to hear one more person tell me it would be OK. I KNEW it would be ok. I KNEW they were on their way with the rest of the tux. I KNEW he would have something to wear. So I didn't need to HEAR everyone say it. I felt a little bad for snapping, but when it came down to it, I was allowed to be mad that this completely unnecessary stressor was happening. It was not ok for Michelle's to make these mistakes, and it was frustrating. Thankfully, Lauren called Michelle's to verify that they were bringing EVERYTHING and Joshy was ready for our "first look." This was also the few minutes that I was confused about why my mother was not there when I went to put my dress on. She went home to get ready, which confused me, so we went ahead and got started. I had places to be, people! So we got the dress, veil, garter, and shoes on! I was ready to go! After my freak out, I felt better, and I was very excited! We got to the church, they hid me away, and got Dan situated for our "first look." I am SO glad we did this. It let us take a moment to breathe together, and it really helped calm me down.
I don't remember feeling particularly nervous when I was waiting to see Dan. I just walked right out and grabbed his hand. He was really surprised by my dress, told me I was beautiful, that he loved me, and gave me a big hug. I was really happy with that few minutes :)
After seeing Dan, I went to hide again so that our wonderful photographers could set up my brothers and dad for our "first look." I really wanted to have this moment with my dad and brothers. They have taught me about love and how a guy should treat a girl. I owe everything to them. They told me I was "gorgeous," gave me some big hugs, and took some great pictures with me that I am really excited to see!
We then took some family pictures outside before going back to the staging room to wait for the ceremony! I felt a little hungry. The girls were eating some torpedoes, but I was not feeling it. I forced down half of a half of a bagel. Yep. Then we waited. For what seemed like forever. When the girls finally had to line up, I got excited. As I stood with my dad, watching the girls go down the aisle, I was so happy! It was about to happen! I tried to keep the mood light with my dad. I think we both did good. No tears!
Except from Dan. :) When we got close enough, I saw him standing there, teary eyed, too shocked to move? I had to motion to him to come meet me and my dad! My dad hugged me, and handed me off to Dan, who I attempted to quietly console ;) There was a Literagy of the Word before we said our vows, so we all sat down and listened to the readings and homily. Then the wedding party joined us in the sanctuary for our vows. Dan did pretty good when it was his turn. No tears. When it was my turn, he started to get teary eyed. I tried to give him my "hey now...DO NOT MAKE ME CRY!" face. At one point, I had to giggle to lighten the mood. I was SHOCKED I didn't cry. Guess we were just at peace. When it was time for the rings, Dan's didn't really want to go on. After some gentle pushes, I got it on, tapped his hand, and we were done-zo! We had our first kiss, walked down the aisle, and went and hung out in the staging room until everyone was outside for bubbles!
Everyone was all sorts of surprised afterwards that I didn't cry. All the groomsmen lost the bet ;) It was nice to have a few minutes of just laughing with everyone in the room. When everyone was outside, Dan and I made our "escape" into the limo, went around to the side of the church, then went back inside for more pictures.
The days second stressor. Holy moly. Trying to get everyone to pay attention and do what we ask was difficult. We finally got through them all. We think. We hope.
After the church pictures, we went outside for some more "fun" wedding party pictures. We really had a ton of fun! Aidan worked herself into I think EVERY wedding party picture. She is such a ham. I can't wait to see them all :)
Next, we loaded up the limo and headed to ISU. We had some wine/beer during the travel, and when we got there, we just sat in the limo for a few minutes. Overall, I think the limo may have been the biggest waste of money. It literally drove us 5 minutes, and we sat in it for 10 additional minutes...for nearly $700. haha. BUT! It was nice to just be in the limo, have a drink, and hear the laughter coming from the party. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that meant a lot to me!
At ISU, we took a few more pictures as a group. I went on a bathroom search...all over the second floor...my feet didn't hurt or anything ;) Then Dan and I did a few more "just us" pictures. I hope there were a lot of good ones. Love my wedding party, but definitely want an abundance of "just us" to look back on!
Then the party started.
PEOPLE! MY RECEPTION WAS AMAZING! I loved every. single. moment. of it. Walking in was fun. Our sand ceremony went well. I only spilled a little. Dan poured the wrong way so it looks like all white sand with a little purple thrown in...but it's all good ;) We got through the sand ceremony, our welcome/thank you, and the blessings in about 5 minutes. Haha. We were super early for dinner. They didn't even have the salads served, yet, but it was all good. We encouraged people to go get drinks and chit chat while we waited. The food was pretty good! I had part of my salad, a thin slice of beef, some potatoes, some strawberries, and a delicious roll. Dan and I then went and made it around his side of the room saying "hello" to our guests.
Next, it was time for the toasts, so we went back up to our table, and listened to our wonderful Maid of Honor and Best Man give their toasts. Dani was pretty emotional, and it was sweet. Zach did a great job, too. It was wonderful to hear what they had to say. I appreciated them doing that for us. Then we cut our cake. Dan was well behaved. He got a little on my nose, but he followed my directions of NOT ruining my dress/make-up ;) It was a tasty cake! After we cut the cake, they had desert. I had the cheesecake, and it was FABULOUS! We were happy with it!
Next, I think, we did the first dances. Dan and I danced to "True Believers" by Darius Rucker. Then I danced with my daddy. We started with Heartland "I Loved Her First." We may have cried a little ;) and we supposedly made ALL of the groomsmen cry. SUCCESS! Halfway through, I surprised my dad as the DJ switched to Guns N Roses "Sweet Child O Mine." My daddy sang it all to me. It was great. I think I successfully lightened the mood, and it made him happy to hear it. Then we did our dollar dance. We had chosen 2 songs. It lasted 4! And I made $1 more than Dan. So ha! It was a good opportunity to quickly see a lot of guests!
After the dancing, we threw the bouquet and garters. Aidan got my bouquet. Of course ;) She was so excited. Joshy caught the garter ;)
Then the dance floor opened up! The DJ kept the upbeat music going all night. I had a great time dancing with friends from so many different stages in my life. Some wonderful friends from undergrad at SLU were there (Colleen and her bf Hoover, Sylvia, Leah, Lauren, and Keith). My favorite ladies from SIUe also made the trip (Kari, Lacey, Kacee, Christina and her bf Carlos, and Elisabeth and her fiance Sergiy). These two groups kept the dance floor alive! As well as Dan's cousins. They were having a BLAST! The bridal party also kept the party going by staying out and dancing. Dan also had wonderful work friends that came. I was lucky enough to have some of my favorite high school/life teen ladies there (Liz and Tabi!) Overall, there were so many wonderful friends and family there keeping the atmosphere everything I wanted it to be. It was great!
Aidan had some HILARIOUS moments. As always. She was sleepy but kept saying how she was going to "party all night!" She also requested "Call Me Maybe" and sang every. word. I should also say that she kept the mood light ALL DAY! She told me how beautiful I was, even if she wasn't looking at me when I asked ;). At the rehearsal, I gave her a handkerchief with a super cute little "use this as something old when you get married" (that is a paraphrase!), but as I was reading it, I cried...because that's what I did ALL. FREAKING. NIGHT. Anyway, she started by touching my head, then gave me a huge hug saying "it's ok." and that she loves me. Seriously. She is the sweetest girl in the world. Everyone loved having her around all day. It was a long day for her, too, but she was such a champ. Good mood, smiling face, cheerful/encouraging comments all day. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect flower girl!
The dancing then continued throughout the night. It appeared as though everyone had a great time! I really appreciated the love we were surrounded with. I do wish, as everyone says, there was more time to spend talking to guests that spent so much of their time coming to celebrate, but I hope everyone understands how much was going on! I hope I was able to at least say "hi" and "thanks" to everyone!
OK - now for some pictures...
I should begin with the day before. There was tux fitting stress. There was a missing deposit check. There seemed to just be a lot of stress. I was not in the best mood that day, to be honest. Which is kind of a let down because I told myself that I would be happy either way, but there is just A LOT to deal with the day before. It kind of sucks. Things began to slightly improve by the rehearsal. Prior - I took some time to get ready with Melissa and Sarah and just try to relax. During the rehearsal, I cried like a huge baby - it was extremely emotional, and I'm not sure why! I got frustrated with the lack of support/help from some people, but I was reminded that those that have been extremely helpful and supportive throughout the whole process completely make up for it. Also, my aunt gave me beautiful claddagh earrings that my grandmother had given her on her wedding eve. It meant so much to me. I will treasure them forever.
So I woke up at 5am, looked at my clock, and realized I had an hour and 45 minutes to continue to sleep. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. At 6am, I was up for good. I tried to eat a banana and a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. I forced down half a bagel and half a banana. So. Not. Hungry. I got dressed, made myself a mimosa, and headed off to the salon with Dani. We stopped at Sbux, where I got a free drink. Love. Zach's mom did my hair and make-up, and I was very happy with it! Bonnie is so sweet/supportive/fun! The hour and a half went by quickly and it was stress-free. I loved it! After our hair, we headed back to the hotel to get dressed.
This is when the first stressor hit. My dad had to be in Champaign at 9:15 to pick up a tux that Michelle's effffffed up. When he picked it up, there was not shirt, vest, or tie in the bag. They assured my dad that we already had all of that - we didn't. They specifically told us to leave it the day before so that they could put it all in one bag. No one wanted to tell me we were missing all of this stuff, so when they finally did, everyone went into a chorus of "it will be OK...it will all work out." I had my first break down. I told everyone that I did not want to hear one more person tell me it would be OK. I KNEW it would be ok. I KNEW they were on their way with the rest of the tux. I KNEW he would have something to wear. So I didn't need to HEAR everyone say it. I felt a little bad for snapping, but when it came down to it, I was allowed to be mad that this completely unnecessary stressor was happening. It was not ok for Michelle's to make these mistakes, and it was frustrating. Thankfully, Lauren called Michelle's to verify that they were bringing EVERYTHING and Joshy was ready for our "first look." This was also the few minutes that I was confused about why my mother was not there when I went to put my dress on. She went home to get ready, which confused me, so we went ahead and got started. I had places to be, people! So we got the dress, veil, garter, and shoes on! I was ready to go! After my freak out, I felt better, and I was very excited! We got to the church, they hid me away, and got Dan situated for our "first look." I am SO glad we did this. It let us take a moment to breathe together, and it really helped calm me down.
I don't remember feeling particularly nervous when I was waiting to see Dan. I just walked right out and grabbed his hand. He was really surprised by my dress, told me I was beautiful, that he loved me, and gave me a big hug. I was really happy with that few minutes :)
After seeing Dan, I went to hide again so that our wonderful photographers could set up my brothers and dad for our "first look." I really wanted to have this moment with my dad and brothers. They have taught me about love and how a guy should treat a girl. I owe everything to them. They told me I was "gorgeous," gave me some big hugs, and took some great pictures with me that I am really excited to see!
We then took some family pictures outside before going back to the staging room to wait for the ceremony! I felt a little hungry. The girls were eating some torpedoes, but I was not feeling it. I forced down half of a half of a bagel. Yep. Then we waited. For what seemed like forever. When the girls finally had to line up, I got excited. As I stood with my dad, watching the girls go down the aisle, I was so happy! It was about to happen! I tried to keep the mood light with my dad. I think we both did good. No tears!
Except from Dan. :) When we got close enough, I saw him standing there, teary eyed, too shocked to move? I had to motion to him to come meet me and my dad! My dad hugged me, and handed me off to Dan, who I attempted to quietly console ;) There was a Literagy of the Word before we said our vows, so we all sat down and listened to the readings and homily. Then the wedding party joined us in the sanctuary for our vows. Dan did pretty good when it was his turn. No tears. When it was my turn, he started to get teary eyed. I tried to give him my "hey now...DO NOT MAKE ME CRY!" face. At one point, I had to giggle to lighten the mood. I was SHOCKED I didn't cry. Guess we were just at peace. When it was time for the rings, Dan's didn't really want to go on. After some gentle pushes, I got it on, tapped his hand, and we were done-zo! We had our first kiss, walked down the aisle, and went and hung out in the staging room until everyone was outside for bubbles!
Everyone was all sorts of surprised afterwards that I didn't cry. All the groomsmen lost the bet ;) It was nice to have a few minutes of just laughing with everyone in the room. When everyone was outside, Dan and I made our "escape" into the limo, went around to the side of the church, then went back inside for more pictures.
The days second stressor. Holy moly. Trying to get everyone to pay attention and do what we ask was difficult. We finally got through them all. We think. We hope.
After the church pictures, we went outside for some more "fun" wedding party pictures. We really had a ton of fun! Aidan worked herself into I think EVERY wedding party picture. She is such a ham. I can't wait to see them all :)
Next, we loaded up the limo and headed to ISU. We had some wine/beer during the travel, and when we got there, we just sat in the limo for a few minutes. Overall, I think the limo may have been the biggest waste of money. It literally drove us 5 minutes, and we sat in it for 10 additional minutes...for nearly $700. haha. BUT! It was nice to just be in the limo, have a drink, and hear the laughter coming from the party. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that meant a lot to me!
At ISU, we took a few more pictures as a group. I went on a bathroom search...all over the second floor...my feet didn't hurt or anything ;) Then Dan and I did a few more "just us" pictures. I hope there were a lot of good ones. Love my wedding party, but definitely want an abundance of "just us" to look back on!
Then the party started.
PEOPLE! MY RECEPTION WAS AMAZING! I loved every. single. moment. of it. Walking in was fun. Our sand ceremony went well. I only spilled a little. Dan poured the wrong way so it looks like all white sand with a little purple thrown in...but it's all good ;) We got through the sand ceremony, our welcome/thank you, and the blessings in about 5 minutes. Haha. We were super early for dinner. They didn't even have the salads served, yet, but it was all good. We encouraged people to go get drinks and chit chat while we waited. The food was pretty good! I had part of my salad, a thin slice of beef, some potatoes, some strawberries, and a delicious roll. Dan and I then went and made it around his side of the room saying "hello" to our guests.
Next, it was time for the toasts, so we went back up to our table, and listened to our wonderful Maid of Honor and Best Man give their toasts. Dani was pretty emotional, and it was sweet. Zach did a great job, too. It was wonderful to hear what they had to say. I appreciated them doing that for us. Then we cut our cake. Dan was well behaved. He got a little on my nose, but he followed my directions of NOT ruining my dress/make-up ;) It was a tasty cake! After we cut the cake, they had desert. I had the cheesecake, and it was FABULOUS! We were happy with it!
Next, I think, we did the first dances. Dan and I danced to "True Believers" by Darius Rucker. Then I danced with my daddy. We started with Heartland "I Loved Her First." We may have cried a little ;) and we supposedly made ALL of the groomsmen cry. SUCCESS! Halfway through, I surprised my dad as the DJ switched to Guns N Roses "Sweet Child O Mine." My daddy sang it all to me. It was great. I think I successfully lightened the mood, and it made him happy to hear it. Then we did our dollar dance. We had chosen 2 songs. It lasted 4! And I made $1 more than Dan. So ha! It was a good opportunity to quickly see a lot of guests!
After the dancing, we threw the bouquet and garters. Aidan got my bouquet. Of course ;) She was so excited. Joshy caught the garter ;)
Then the dance floor opened up! The DJ kept the upbeat music going all night. I had a great time dancing with friends from so many different stages in my life. Some wonderful friends from undergrad at SLU were there (Colleen and her bf Hoover, Sylvia, Leah, Lauren, and Keith). My favorite ladies from SIUe also made the trip (Kari, Lacey, Kacee, Christina and her bf Carlos, and Elisabeth and her fiance Sergiy). These two groups kept the dance floor alive! As well as Dan's cousins. They were having a BLAST! The bridal party also kept the party going by staying out and dancing. Dan also had wonderful work friends that came. I was lucky enough to have some of my favorite high school/life teen ladies there (Liz and Tabi!) Overall, there were so many wonderful friends and family there keeping the atmosphere everything I wanted it to be. It was great!
Aidan had some HILARIOUS moments. As always. She was sleepy but kept saying how she was going to "party all night!" She also requested "Call Me Maybe" and sang every. word. I should also say that she kept the mood light ALL DAY! She told me how beautiful I was, even if she wasn't looking at me when I asked ;). At the rehearsal, I gave her a handkerchief with a super cute little "use this as something old when you get married" (that is a paraphrase!), but as I was reading it, I cried...because that's what I did ALL. FREAKING. NIGHT. Anyway, she started by touching my head, then gave me a huge hug saying "it's ok." and that she loves me. Seriously. She is the sweetest girl in the world. Everyone loved having her around all day. It was a long day for her, too, but she was such a champ. Good mood, smiling face, cheerful/encouraging comments all day. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect flower girl!
The dancing then continued throughout the night. It appeared as though everyone had a great time! I really appreciated the love we were surrounded with. I do wish, as everyone says, there was more time to spend talking to guests that spent so much of their time coming to celebrate, but I hope everyone understands how much was going on! I hope I was able to at least say "hi" and "thanks" to everyone!
OK - now for some pictures...
 |
| first dance! |
 |
| Cake! |
 |
| Mr. and Mrs! |
 |
| perfect! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)