Saturdays Are for Weddings: 9 Weeks

I have read my fair share of blogs, magazine pieces and books. Women on the brink of huge life changes--like weddings and giving birth--frequently mention that they start have weird dreams related to the impending event. I've had some life-altering events in my life, though neither of these in particular, but I can't say I've ever started dreaming about them. (At least not that I can recall upon waking.) So I chalked it up to "one of those things other women do for which I am missing the proper gene in one of my X chromosomes," like, for example, shoe shopping.

And then.

Hello, crazy dreams!

Of the two I can vividly remember, the first went something like this: Positively everything went wrong. The minister didn't show up. I showed up but I wasn't wearing my dress. Only five people actually came to the wedding. I hadn't given the venue my final headcount. No one could find the flowers. It was just one thing after another. And while everyone around me was freaking the heck out, I looked at Troy and said "Whatever, let's just get married."

In the other, I was in my hotel room, trying to get ready for the wedding. There were people buzzing around everywhere, getting themselves ready and fussing over me (which really just stresses me out) (fuss over me, that is, not getting themselves dressed). And for some reason, my giant phone with the switchboard that sits on my desk at work was sitting on the bed. Ringing. Non-stop. My phone has a caller id screen on it and the screen kept showing that one of my co-workers was calling me from his desk over and over. I kept answering it only for him to ask me for a rootbeer. I had some choice words for him the fifth time he phoned in his request. I confronted him about this at work the following morning (for real, not in my dream) and here's the part that gives me the heebiejeebies: He hasn't had a rootbeer in years; Sprite is his soda of choice. But the night before, they were out of it at his house, so he had some of the "special treat" soda they had bought for their daughter. Rootbeer. What now??

I think I'm going to go back to staring at my mailbox, willing the last half of the response cards to appear.

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The Great Butterfly Escapade

On our last day in the northeast, we had some time between when we checked out of the timeshare and when we needed to be at the airport. We decided to stop along the way at the Yankee Candle flagship store (I didn't buy any candles since I would have had to figure out how to then transport them on the plane when our luggage was already packed, but I did get to sniff all the new scents so I know which I like when I buy online!) and after we browsed and ate lunch, my mom wanted to bring us to a place called "Magic Wings" to see the butterflies. They were beautiful and amazing, but I spent the majority of the hour we were there on a mission to get a photo of this one type of blue butterfly. The challenge: they never seem to stop MOVING. And when they finally land somewhere, they close up their wings so you can only see the outside/bottoms of them which are *not* blue.

But I was determined to get a good shot.



I am certain I looked like a lunatic...





...chasing the butterflies around with my camera...



...getting photos that were blurry or over/under exposed, as they darted from light into shadow.



Trying to time my finger to the unpredictable flapping of a resting butterfly.





But even though it isn't perfect, I finally felt victorious.

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Saturdays Are for Weddings: 10 Weeks

This past Sunday, my mother and stepfather threw a Jack and Jill for us. I got to hug some really awesome people that I haven't seen in varying degrees of far too long.






(photo by Dan Kane Photos)

I got to dance with my Dad.

(photo by Dan Kane Photos)

And then there was this...
(photo by Dan Kane Photos)

I get to the be the one he looks at like that. How lucky am I?



Before you ever came along
I was living life all wrong
The smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine
(from "Crazy Girl" by Eli Young Band)

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A few peeks at what we've been doing...

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Saturdays Are for Weddings: 11 Weeks

It's funny, when you hear people go on and on about how crazy and time-consuming it is to plan a wedding, what fails to come across is how much sitting around there is. Oh, there are still items on the list but it is either to soon to work on them or they are completely at the mercy of the final headcount, which is still over a month away from being due. Sure, we still need to get wedding bands and I need to pop something in the mail to a crafty friend for my hair, but that encompasses Everything I Can Actually Do Right Now.

So, I am killing time, reading blogs and various wedding-related tidbits on social media. I can see how, for an easily overwhelmed bride, this would be a bad idea. There is a *lot* of information out there. And an eternal list of ideas to inspire you. And a ludicrous number of "must have details" that they neglect to mention can only be afforded by someone of celebrity status. I am secure in what we're doing. I feel it focuses on the important part of the day and celebrates who we are as a couple. If anyone in attendance cannot see that, then I have sorely misjudged their need to be on this guest list.

Anyway.

In all my time-killing but keep-the-wedding-spirit meanderings, there is one trend around which I simply cannot wrap my head. Two dresses. Let me get this straight: I pay an obscene amount of money (even if I get a really good deal) (which I did--on both counts) for a dress that I will wear for a limited number of hours ONE DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. Unless I birth a daughter who is not only relatively the same size as me, but also likes the style dress I wore *and* is ok wearing an old dress, the only way this thing ever gets used again is if I sell or donate it. So why, in the name of all sanity, is there a trend that says the bride changes into a more casual party dress for the reception?! Now, not only is she spending even *more* money (on another dress which, let's be honest, may or may not also be worn just the one time), but she will wear both of them for even *less* time? I have to tell you, I love my dress. I am thrilled this is what I will wear on my wedding day. But I intend to squeeze every last second out of wearing that dress on the day I am married.

This? Is why I am never going to be a trend-setter.

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Saturdays Are for Weddings: 12 Weeks

When you first get engaged, there is this weird expanse of time during which you do a whole lot of nothing. And then there is suddenly so much to get done: dress and invitations and attendants and venue and the list just does.not.stop. There is an endless parade of details and decisions. And then just as suddenly, you plateau again. I am in the waiting game. The next batch of to-do's depends on the head count. The response cards have been steadily rolling in, about a third of them have been returned. The break is welcome. I feel like I'm catching my breath.

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Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: June 2012

A photo of me:
I tried. I just didn't get any I wanted to keep.

1) Candle scents this month:
French Vanilla. Bahama Breeze.

2) What I am reading this month:
Finished Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez). It had some parts that dragged and others that kind of horrified me, but I really liked the meat of the story. I stopped at the library and picked up a few books. The first one I read was Farm Fresh Murder (Paige Shelton), which was a "cozy mystery." It was a light, entertaining read. It's part of a series and I will definitely look for the rest.

3) Top three songs I was drawn to:
"Somebody That I Used to Know," by Gotye. "Ours," by Taylor Swift. "How Great Thou Art," by Carrie Underwood (which actually made me cry the first time I listened to it).

4) Movies I saw:
None. I've been finishing some shows still on the DVR, mixed with working my way through my Boston Legal DVDs, when I'm not watching the Sox.

5) Favorite tv moments of the month:
Hatfields and McCoys - Violent and tragic, but utterly fascinating.
"Brave New World (2)," Fringe - The best season finales are the ones the leave you with a thousand questions, dangling, waiting impatiently for the next season to start. Mission accomplished.
The return of Dallas - It's pure brain candy. Frivolous fluff. But it fills me with a tremendous amount of nostalgia, because the writers and producers have nailed the older characters to the letter. And they kept the theme song and the opening image sequence, precisely as I recall it from my childhood perch on the couch between Gram and Gramp.
"Christmas Waltz," Mad Men - The scene with Joan and Don in the bar was fantastic, maybe my favorite from the entire season. Their chemistry throws dazzling sparks.
"The Other Woman," Mad Men - I may not have agreed with the decision made but that was some fantastic acting! Christina Hendricks owns the part of Joan Holloway Harris. She is magnificent.
"The Phantom," Mad Men - Possibly one of the most quote-worthy episodes of this show ever! "Not every little girl gets to do what they want. The wold cannot support that many ballerinas." - Marie Calvet. "You had no right to fill a man like that with ambition." - Rebecca Pryce. "Don't leave here thinking you've done anything for anyone but yourself." - Rebecca Pryce. "Well, I'm President of the Howdy Doody Circus Army!" - Pete Campbell.

6) Something yummy I made:
I have no idea what took me so long to finally make my own meatballs, but I certainly won't be buying them pre-made anymore!

7) Restaurants where I ate:
Ruby Tuesday. Five Guys.

8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. The Dallas theme song. They nailed it. Music the same, images used the same, other than a few updated versions of the originals. I love how nostalgic it makes me! 2. The new porch swing T built for our screen porch. I'm going to love it even more when it's not summer. 3. The library. I always forget how much I enjoy leaving with a small stack of books tucked under my arm. 4. A freshly organized kitchen. Now that T has finished the awesome new cabinet for the kitchen, and we've been living here for a few months, I have a much better feel for how I move about the room. So with more space and armed with this experience, I did some rearranging to make things more convenient and intuitive. Loving it! 5. Response cards coming in the mail for the wedding!

9) A goal I had for this month:
Get the invitations in the mail! DONE!

10) This month I looked forward to:
Getting back on track. I've felt scattered lately, with so many out of the ordinary things going on.

11) Something I want to be thankful for this month:
T is such an awesome travel companion. And that we live on a hill, considering we exceeded a foot of rain from midday Saturday June 23 through Tuesday June 26, the majority of which fell on Sunday and Monday.

12) A photo I took this month:

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