What I am lusting over right now...Nike Air Max+ in gray and baby blue.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Wedding Part I
Well...we are married. Finally. I do not encourage anyone to have a 14-month long engagement because although I thouroughly enjoyed my wedding...I was certainly excited to have it OVER so that Craig and I could return to our normal lives without this huge monkey hanging on our back.
The week of the wedding, as fate would have it, I came down with an awesome sinus infection so I ended up taking off Tuesday before the wedding so that I could go to the doctor and plead my case for some serious medication. I got on some antibiotics but they also drew blood to test for an underactive thyroid as well which could be the culprit for weight gain (ha!) and my frequent exhaustion and lack of energy. I still haven't received the results from that test so I called this morning and I guess I'll just wait for them to return my message!
On Wednesday, March 10th, I drove out to north Ft. Worth and picked up my Maid of Honor Amy from her sister's house and we came back to my side of town where I gave her a tour of my house, fed her Mexican food and we got our nails and toes done. Afterwards we did a little bit of shopping for the rehearsal dinner and wedding night. ;) It was really nice to have an opportunity to hang out just the two of us since she does live in Maine and I hardly ever get to see her. The following day, I drove down to my parent's house and dropped off Angie and picked up my mom to head out to the hotel for our meeting with the events coordinator. Craig and his mom met us out there with the rest of the decorations and such for the wedding. We were all able to sit down at a conference table and go through step by step the order of events from the rehearsal dinner all the way to the end of the reception. I was able to leave the meeting feeling very prepared for the wedding weekend. That night, Craig and I packed our stuff up that we needed for the wedding as well as put together MOST of our luggage for the honeymoon in Antigua.
On Friday morning, Craig and I both had massage appointments at 9:00 at a spa very close to our house and it was nice to be able to drift off blissfully and in (almost) solitude before I was to be surrounded by massive amounts of people. I also had a facial to give me "glowing" skin...at least I hoped it came across as "glowing" and not "oily/greasy." Either way, by the time I headed out to the hotel around 2:15, I was a little nervous, but also anxious to just get the show on the road. I'm a planner and I like to be prepared for major (and minor) events, but I'm just a wee bit impatient as well so I was frustrated for many months when I had my plans completed...but couldn't put them into action. Our rehearsal dinner started at 5:00-ish and it was SO WINDY and a little bit chilly outside but the task was accomplished quickly and we all headed to the golf course clubhouse for a fajita buffet for dinner. During the dinner, we spoke about each of our bridal party and gave out our gifts but there was a special gift for me that I did not know about - in her speech, Craig's mom spoke about how I was the "missing piece" in the puzzle of Craig's life and in honor of that, she gave me a necklace with a puzzle piece charm engraved with my name and our wedding date. Afterwards we...well...I can't really remember what we did because I was so exhausted. I think I just wanted to go to bed but I do remember having a hard time actually falling asleep in my suite by myself without my puppy dog or Craig.
I woke up that night at 2:00 am, 4:00 am and finally gave up on sleep around 6:30 and played Sudoku for almost an hour before getting up to take a shower. Saturday went by pretty quickly...I was on the road by 9:00 to go pick up Amy at her sister's house so that we could go get our hair done at 10:00. We were headed back to the hotel by one (I think) and met up with the other bridesmaids and my mom to hang out and eat before the wedding began. It was nice to have four of my closest friends (and my mother) just relaxing in the room, drinking mimosas and snacking on cookies and crackers. I did get one big surprise delivered to my room in the afternoon - the Best Man Ron and Craig's little sister Sherika dropped off Craig's wedding present to me which was wrapped in a very well-known and unmistakable robins egg blue box. I opened the box and inside was a Tiffany's silver chain heart charm bracelet with the Tiffany's logo engraved in turquoise and our wedding date engraved on the back. Good job Craig. By 3:00 though, I was forced to get my rear in gear because the photographer arrived and I had to start putting on make-up and getting into my dress. At no point during this time did I feel anxious or overwhelmed or even a little sappy. I was a little frustrated having to put on my dress so early...but that's just because I don't like wearing big dresses and I was much more comfortable in my sweatpants.
My dad arrived in the room shortly before it was time to go downstairs to line up...but still...no emotions rose up in my body. But then my bridesmaids were getting ready to head down and I took a glimpse out my window at the ceremony site on the ground - the chairs were full and people were ready. Oh crap. All of a sudden, it got VERY warm in the room and I sat myself in front of the air conditioner with my dress hiked up around my knees. I wasn't nervous about the ceremony and the "I do's" but more about the BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. My dad didn't bat an eye but instead just told me that I looked beautiful and all those people down there love me and were excited to see me marry Craig. It didn't help my slight panic attack, but I appreciated the gesture.
As far as the ceremony itself, I didn't cry and neither did Craig and it was over rather quickly which was fine with me. I didn't like standing up there and knowing over 150 people were staring at my backside. Our minister was the husband of a bridesmaid (Beri) and he did a great job creating vows and a sermon that was personal and meaningful to Craig and myself...which means there were lots of U2 references and our pronouncement as husband and wife was "Mr. and Mrs. Coach Nelson!" I loved that part and I especially loved my clever take on "in sickness and health" which I turned into "in knee surgeries and in health." As we walked away, Craig told me that I was beautiful and I think that he was pretty proud to be married to me. I, on the other hand, was still a little bit shaky from the whole experience.
That's all I can write right now...stay tuned for the next installment!
The week of the wedding, as fate would have it, I came down with an awesome sinus infection so I ended up taking off Tuesday before the wedding so that I could go to the doctor and plead my case for some serious medication. I got on some antibiotics but they also drew blood to test for an underactive thyroid as well which could be the culprit for weight gain (ha!) and my frequent exhaustion and lack of energy. I still haven't received the results from that test so I called this morning and I guess I'll just wait for them to return my message!
On Wednesday, March 10th, I drove out to north Ft. Worth and picked up my Maid of Honor Amy from her sister's house and we came back to my side of town where I gave her a tour of my house, fed her Mexican food and we got our nails and toes done. Afterwards we did a little bit of shopping for the rehearsal dinner and wedding night. ;) It was really nice to have an opportunity to hang out just the two of us since she does live in Maine and I hardly ever get to see her. The following day, I drove down to my parent's house and dropped off Angie and picked up my mom to head out to the hotel for our meeting with the events coordinator. Craig and his mom met us out there with the rest of the decorations and such for the wedding. We were all able to sit down at a conference table and go through step by step the order of events from the rehearsal dinner all the way to the end of the reception. I was able to leave the meeting feeling very prepared for the wedding weekend. That night, Craig and I packed our stuff up that we needed for the wedding as well as put together MOST of our luggage for the honeymoon in Antigua.
On Friday morning, Craig and I both had massage appointments at 9:00 at a spa very close to our house and it was nice to be able to drift off blissfully and in (almost) solitude before I was to be surrounded by massive amounts of people. I also had a facial to give me "glowing" skin...at least I hoped it came across as "glowing" and not "oily/greasy." Either way, by the time I headed out to the hotel around 2:15, I was a little nervous, but also anxious to just get the show on the road. I'm a planner and I like to be prepared for major (and minor) events, but I'm just a wee bit impatient as well so I was frustrated for many months when I had my plans completed...but couldn't put them into action. Our rehearsal dinner started at 5:00-ish and it was SO WINDY and a little bit chilly outside but the task was accomplished quickly and we all headed to the golf course clubhouse for a fajita buffet for dinner. During the dinner, we spoke about each of our bridal party and gave out our gifts but there was a special gift for me that I did not know about - in her speech, Craig's mom spoke about how I was the "missing piece" in the puzzle of Craig's life and in honor of that, she gave me a necklace with a puzzle piece charm engraved with my name and our wedding date. Afterwards we...well...I can't really remember what we did because I was so exhausted. I think I just wanted to go to bed but I do remember having a hard time actually falling asleep in my suite by myself without my puppy dog or Craig.
I woke up that night at 2:00 am, 4:00 am and finally gave up on sleep around 6:30 and played Sudoku for almost an hour before getting up to take a shower. Saturday went by pretty quickly...I was on the road by 9:00 to go pick up Amy at her sister's house so that we could go get our hair done at 10:00. We were headed back to the hotel by one (I think) and met up with the other bridesmaids and my mom to hang out and eat before the wedding began. It was nice to have four of my closest friends (and my mother) just relaxing in the room, drinking mimosas and snacking on cookies and crackers. I did get one big surprise delivered to my room in the afternoon - the Best Man Ron and Craig's little sister Sherika dropped off Craig's wedding present to me which was wrapped in a very well-known and unmistakable robins egg blue box. I opened the box and inside was a Tiffany's silver chain heart charm bracelet with the Tiffany's logo engraved in turquoise and our wedding date engraved on the back. Good job Craig. By 3:00 though, I was forced to get my rear in gear because the photographer arrived and I had to start putting on make-up and getting into my dress. At no point during this time did I feel anxious or overwhelmed or even a little sappy. I was a little frustrated having to put on my dress so early...but that's just because I don't like wearing big dresses and I was much more comfortable in my sweatpants.
My dad arrived in the room shortly before it was time to go downstairs to line up...but still...no emotions rose up in my body. But then my bridesmaids were getting ready to head down and I took a glimpse out my window at the ceremony site on the ground - the chairs were full and people were ready. Oh crap. All of a sudden, it got VERY warm in the room and I sat myself in front of the air conditioner with my dress hiked up around my knees. I wasn't nervous about the ceremony and the "I do's" but more about the BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. My dad didn't bat an eye but instead just told me that I looked beautiful and all those people down there love me and were excited to see me marry Craig. It didn't help my slight panic attack, but I appreciated the gesture.
As far as the ceremony itself, I didn't cry and neither did Craig and it was over rather quickly which was fine with me. I didn't like standing up there and knowing over 150 people were staring at my backside. Our minister was the husband of a bridesmaid (Beri) and he did a great job creating vows and a sermon that was personal and meaningful to Craig and myself...which means there were lots of U2 references and our pronouncement as husband and wife was "Mr. and Mrs. Coach Nelson!" I loved that part and I especially loved my clever take on "in sickness and health" which I turned into "in knee surgeries and in health." As we walked away, Craig told me that I was beautiful and I think that he was pretty proud to be married to me. I, on the other hand, was still a little bit shaky from the whole experience.
That's all I can write right now...stay tuned for the next installment!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Holy Matrimonial Nightmares
A few months ago, I had a dream. In this dream, there were kegs at the end of each row of little white chairs and blow-up jump houses for the kids who got bored during the ceremony. My flower girls wore yellow polo shirts and fluffy skirts and just so happened to be a few of my more "memorable" former athletes. As I got to the end of the aisle with my dad, we were walking on that terrible plastic and fake green grass. But that wasn't the worst of it...I turned to face Craig and he was wearing Adidas athletic shorts and sporting a mullet.
Last night in my dream, our wedding tent was decorated with the leftover remnants of a kindergarten Valentine's Day party, there were infomercials before the ceremony, my bridesmaids tried to walk down the aisle twice at the wrong time which resulted in me punching one in the face. (Don't worry girls, none of the bridesmaids were my ACTUAL bridesmaids) In addition, the DJ couldn't find the right music and when the bridesmaids DID walk down the aisle, it was to Kesha's song Tik Tok (which coincidentally is my current ringtone). And what happened when I got down the aisle with my dad? Craig and I were wearing the same dress.
Apparently, I am very concerned about Craig's attire.
Last night in my dream, our wedding tent was decorated with the leftover remnants of a kindergarten Valentine's Day party, there were infomercials before the ceremony, my bridesmaids tried to walk down the aisle twice at the wrong time which resulted in me punching one in the face. (Don't worry girls, none of the bridesmaids were my ACTUAL bridesmaids) In addition, the DJ couldn't find the right music and when the bridesmaids DID walk down the aisle, it was to Kesha's song Tik Tok (which coincidentally is my current ringtone). And what happened when I got down the aisle with my dad? Craig and I were wearing the same dress.
Apparently, I am very concerned about Craig's attire.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Bridezilla isn't a bad word...
My whole goal during this wedding planning process has been to run as far away from the idea of a "bridezilla" as I possibly could. I didn't want people to think of helping me with my wedding or God forbid...BEING in my wedding as a chore instead of a joy. The word Bridezilla is tossed around so casually but yet can be incredibly hurtful to a bride that is truly trying her best to walk the delicate line between getting the day of her dream but also being respectful of people's time, energy and pocketbook. Along the way, I found this article on one of the few wedding blogs that I read religiously. This website, Off Beat Bride is full of crazy stuff that I would never put in my wedding...but through seeing those "crazy" weddings, I have been able to push past what is expected and instead stand my ground on what WE want.
http://offbeatbride.com/2010/01/of-brides-and-zillas
Enjoy!
http://offbeatbride.com/2010/01/of-brides-and-zillas
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Parties and such
Since I have a whole afternoon ahead of me and one can only watch so much television, I will fill you in on a few of the wedding festivities that have occured and that are coming up soon.
Saturday, January 16th:
My four lovely bridesmaids, Kate, Jennifer, Beri and Amy threw me a fun shower at Beri's house about twenty minutes north of my house. Beri has a wonderful open lay-out in her home that was perfect for entertaining. I had several of my girlfriends there from all different aspects of my life: childhood friends Kate and Heather, college friend Kelly and then my "grown up" friend Jennifer as well as several work friends from my previous school. The theme was "Around the Clock" and each invitation had been sent out with a specific time attached - the person had to buy an item for me to use during that particular time. Of course the present I wanted to open first was the 3:00AM! Beri had chose the time recipients carefully and one of my more fun-loving friends from MMS Michelle and Sue had been chosen. There I was, sitting in the middle of a circle surrounded by friends...and my mother, mother-in-law and Mema-in-law...I opened their present for 3:00AM: The Joy of Sex book. Luckily, Craig's family has a great sense of humor and laughed right along with everyone else. My girls did a fantastic job coordinating the food and beverages with the Around the Clock theme as well as the cake. It reminded me of what special women I have in my life for friends.
Sunday, January 17th:
My parents have lived in the same house for around 30 years and I attended the same elementary, middle and high schools that my much older brothers attended. I was baptized at the church that my parents still attend to this day. Having said that, my parents have developed deep friendship bonds with many people in the area...from being Cub Scout leaders together, to serving on PTA boards, to Bunco groups and finally through the church where my mother worked for many years. Although we don't have a lot of family in the area (all uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins were out of town) I grew up with a sense of community as our family. Five of these women, including my wonderful godmother, chose to throw me a wedding shower with all of these extended family members! It was at my godmother's house on Sunday afternoon and it was lovely. The women had brought out all their favorite buffet serving dishes as well as a gorgeous punch bowl for the event. There was a delicious chicken salad, a fruit salad and my favorite thing - an array of cupcakes! Of course, I made sure that a few red velvet ones were stashed away for the groom-to-be. The funniest thing was that when I was introducing everyone to one another, specifically to Craig's mom and Mema...most of the people would say "I remember when Betty found out she was pregnant," or "I've known Laura since before she was born." Looking around, I did see a definite sense of family - I loved the fact that Ms. Anne, one of my mother's former coworkers, could tell stories of me coming into her office at church to chat and eat chocolates when I was in middle school. It meant a lot to my mother, seeing how much dedication, time, effort and true joy was put into creating such a lovely event for her daughter.
Things that are coming up:
Wednesday, February 24th:
The MMS faculty wedding shower for Craig and myself. It's a tailgating theme with no punch or vegetables allowed.
Saturday, February 20th:
Craig's bachelor party...a few weeks ago, I was working one of Craig's select basketball tournaments because he had to go coach his school team and while I was up there, I chatted with his best buddy and best man Ron about his bachelor party. I was able to give Ron some ideas that Craig had mentioned to me, as well as a potential invite list. Craig and 6 of his buddies are going to meet at our house and get in a limo to go eat in downtown Dallas and then go to a Mavs basketball game together. I think they plan on going to a few bars afterwards and then having the limo bring them back to our house. Craig and Ron both have a basketball tournament going on this particular weekend, so guess who volunteered to open up the gyms and get the tourney running on Sunday morning so the boys can sleep in? Yes...I am a very good fiance.
Early March, after Amy arrives in town:
My bachelorette party...now, I'm not a huge fan of the crazy, wild bachelorette party because I don't need to "mourn" the passing of my singlehood. I'm ready to be married...and ready to be Craig's wife. I told my friends that I wanted a nice dinner and drinks out with my closest 10 or so friends - the people that have really been involved in my life for the past few years during my desperate search for a hubby. As far as the details go, I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but hopefully it will be fun!
Saturday, January 16th:
My four lovely bridesmaids, Kate, Jennifer, Beri and Amy threw me a fun shower at Beri's house about twenty minutes north of my house. Beri has a wonderful open lay-out in her home that was perfect for entertaining. I had several of my girlfriends there from all different aspects of my life: childhood friends Kate and Heather, college friend Kelly and then my "grown up" friend Jennifer as well as several work friends from my previous school. The theme was "Around the Clock" and each invitation had been sent out with a specific time attached - the person had to buy an item for me to use during that particular time. Of course the present I wanted to open first was the 3:00AM! Beri had chose the time recipients carefully and one of my more fun-loving friends from MMS Michelle and Sue had been chosen. There I was, sitting in the middle of a circle surrounded by friends...and my mother, mother-in-law and Mema-in-law...I opened their present for 3:00AM: The Joy of Sex book. Luckily, Craig's family has a great sense of humor and laughed right along with everyone else. My girls did a fantastic job coordinating the food and beverages with the Around the Clock theme as well as the cake. It reminded me of what special women I have in my life for friends.
Sunday, January 17th:
My parents have lived in the same house for around 30 years and I attended the same elementary, middle and high schools that my much older brothers attended. I was baptized at the church that my parents still attend to this day. Having said that, my parents have developed deep friendship bonds with many people in the area...from being Cub Scout leaders together, to serving on PTA boards, to Bunco groups and finally through the church where my mother worked for many years. Although we don't have a lot of family in the area (all uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins were out of town) I grew up with a sense of community as our family. Five of these women, including my wonderful godmother, chose to throw me a wedding shower with all of these extended family members! It was at my godmother's house on Sunday afternoon and it was lovely. The women had brought out all their favorite buffet serving dishes as well as a gorgeous punch bowl for the event. There was a delicious chicken salad, a fruit salad and my favorite thing - an array of cupcakes! Of course, I made sure that a few red velvet ones were stashed away for the groom-to-be. The funniest thing was that when I was introducing everyone to one another, specifically to Craig's mom and Mema...most of the people would say "I remember when Betty found out she was pregnant," or "I've known Laura since before she was born." Looking around, I did see a definite sense of family - I loved the fact that Ms. Anne, one of my mother's former coworkers, could tell stories of me coming into her office at church to chat and eat chocolates when I was in middle school. It meant a lot to my mother, seeing how much dedication, time, effort and true joy was put into creating such a lovely event for her daughter.
Things that are coming up:
Wednesday, February 24th:
The MMS faculty wedding shower for Craig and myself. It's a tailgating theme with no punch or vegetables allowed.
Saturday, February 20th:
Craig's bachelor party...a few weeks ago, I was working one of Craig's select basketball tournaments because he had to go coach his school team and while I was up there, I chatted with his best buddy and best man Ron about his bachelor party. I was able to give Ron some ideas that Craig had mentioned to me, as well as a potential invite list. Craig and 6 of his buddies are going to meet at our house and get in a limo to go eat in downtown Dallas and then go to a Mavs basketball game together. I think they plan on going to a few bars afterwards and then having the limo bring them back to our house. Craig and Ron both have a basketball tournament going on this particular weekend, so guess who volunteered to open up the gyms and get the tourney running on Sunday morning so the boys can sleep in? Yes...I am a very good fiance.
Early March, after Amy arrives in town:
My bachelorette party...now, I'm not a huge fan of the crazy, wild bachelorette party because I don't need to "mourn" the passing of my singlehood. I'm ready to be married...and ready to be Craig's wife. I told my friends that I wanted a nice dinner and drinks out with my closest 10 or so friends - the people that have really been involved in my life for the past few years during my desperate search for a hubby. As far as the details go, I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but hopefully it will be fun!
Oh Sudafed...let me sleep...
It is 4:10 in the AM and I am wide awake. I'm not sure if it's due to the Sudafed with Sudaphetrine pills that I took before I went to bed, but regardless...here I am. For the past three weeks I have been stuck in that awful moment when a plane is taking off, right before your ears pop with you feel like you're in a bubble. It's been giving me migraines and making me feel a little sick to my stomach, so I am finally taking the day off of work today to go to the doctor where they will hopefully give me a shot full of wonderful goodies to take the pressure off my brain. I'm a little tired of everything being foggy.
Other than that, what has been going on? Absolutely everything. I started Bible Study every Tuesday night from 7:00 until 9:00 but that event is always preceeded by a 7th and 8th grade Cross Country meet. I've been working or attending basketball games every Monday and Thursday nights with a District Tournament thrown in there as well. And on Wednesday nights I have my "old coaches" volleyball league. The term "buring the candle at both ends" comes to mind...no wonder I'm sick.
But the good news out of all this is that we're only about 31 days or so from the wedding so all this business is helping move time along very quickly. For the better part of 2010 I have been in secret wedding freak out mode. Craig can tell you - I've been in tears the majority of nights, completely stressed over stupid things about the wedding. Will people come? Will people have fun? I'm not worried about flowers or cakes being delivered on time, but instead I want to make sure that everyone around me is happy with the decisions that I make. And while trying so earnestly to make sure that my bridesmaids are happy or mom's are happy, I think I've been driving both them and myself completely nuts. Apparently, the polar opposite of a "Bridezilla" can be just as frustrating.
I did make major progress though...a couple of Fridays ago I was sitting there looking from my list of wedding things to do to my calendar chocked full of items previously mentioned, wondering where in the world was the time to get everything accomplished. And then I had a breakthrough - these were all things that could be taken care of by someone else. Sooo...I put together a list for my mother and future mother-in-law and told them to divide and conquer. If there was something on that list that they felt particularly drawn to...have at it. Take whatever you wanted and run with it. Needless to say, all items on the list have been taken care of. It was difficult for me because I am somewhat of a control freak at times (what teacher isn't?) but I knew that in order to save my sanity, I had to let some stuff go. It doesn't mean that I'm not a good and organized bride...if anything, it makes me a smarter bride to outsource.
Other than that, what has been going on? Absolutely everything. I started Bible Study every Tuesday night from 7:00 until 9:00 but that event is always preceeded by a 7th and 8th grade Cross Country meet. I've been working or attending basketball games every Monday and Thursday nights with a District Tournament thrown in there as well. And on Wednesday nights I have my "old coaches" volleyball league. The term "buring the candle at both ends" comes to mind...no wonder I'm sick.
But the good news out of all this is that we're only about 31 days or so from the wedding so all this business is helping move time along very quickly. For the better part of 2010 I have been in secret wedding freak out mode. Craig can tell you - I've been in tears the majority of nights, completely stressed over stupid things about the wedding. Will people come? Will people have fun? I'm not worried about flowers or cakes being delivered on time, but instead I want to make sure that everyone around me is happy with the decisions that I make. And while trying so earnestly to make sure that my bridesmaids are happy or mom's are happy, I think I've been driving both them and myself completely nuts. Apparently, the polar opposite of a "Bridezilla" can be just as frustrating.
I did make major progress though...a couple of Fridays ago I was sitting there looking from my list of wedding things to do to my calendar chocked full of items previously mentioned, wondering where in the world was the time to get everything accomplished. And then I had a breakthrough - these were all things that could be taken care of by someone else. Sooo...I put together a list for my mother and future mother-in-law and told them to divide and conquer. If there was something on that list that they felt particularly drawn to...have at it. Take whatever you wanted and run with it. Needless to say, all items on the list have been taken care of. It was difficult for me because I am somewhat of a control freak at times (what teacher isn't?) but I knew that in order to save my sanity, I had to let some stuff go. It doesn't mean that I'm not a good and organized bride...if anything, it makes me a smarter bride to outsource.
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