A few years ago a typical weekend for me consisted of a late and crazy Friday night in downtown Ft. Worth, sleeping til noon and then staying in jammies until time to repeat the whole process on Saturday night and into Sunday. But on Sunday, I usually felt the need to update my wardrobe after seeing other girls out the previous nights so I would drag myself out of bed and head to the mall. Needless to say, my apartment was never very clean and I never accomplished much more than depleting my checking account.
Fast forward to the present tense and read the details of this past weekend.
- Thursday night: Drove to Lamar Middle School to watch Craig coach Division I in the first round of the district tournament.
- Friday night: Worked the scorer's table at my school for the second round of the district tournament. Nearly had a fatal heart attack when Craig's team was down fourteen points at the end of the third quarter, but yet came back to win by eight.
- Saturday: Woke up when Craig left at nine to go to the tourney and I couldn't fall asleep again. I was at the tourney by 1:15 with my and Craig's family to watch the third round of the championship, which he won quite easily. I then had to sit through an intermediary game before the final Division I championship game but luckily I had Beri by me to keep me company. So finally the game starts and within two minutes of the start Craig has received a technical foul. Fantastic. I didn't really see the actual foul given because I had by then buried my head in my hands...I can't stand to see him be a jerk, despite his reasons of protecting his players from crap calls and refs. This game turned out to be another cardiac arrest inducing game with it coming down to a "down by one, two free throws and five seconds left in the game" situation. Good grief. I would love to say that I remember those two free throws vividly, but once again my head was buried in my hands out of sheer terror. Keep in mind, Craig won the district tournament last year and went 6-1 this season with these girls...and I had to go home with him if they lost. So after the majority of the stands cheered twice, I figured it was safe to look up and I did just in time to see the other team inbound the ball, push it down the court, and finally...right at the buzzer...a shot goes up---and in the basket---and then miraculously out again. Our girls had done it - back to back district championships. Now...I know that it's only middle school basketball, but our district alone has 15 middle schools so to be district champs two years in a row is a pretty amazing feat. Upon returning home and receiving my congratulations, Craig just shook his head and said that it wasn't him and he immediately put the kudos on the girls...after all they were the ones on the court. True. And from being a coach I know that you can have all the strategy in the world and have great knowledge of the game...but if the kids can't or won't perform all your efforts are wasted. BUT...I know that Craig is a great coach and knows how to manage his team, the players and the flow of the game well which resulted in allowing his girls to have the tools to win. Anyways. After he rested for about an hour, we went to Outback Steakhouse because, apparently winning makes him crave red meat. I didn't care and we ended up having a pretty good dinner sitting at the bar because we weren't wanting to wait an hour and a half just to sit at a table. On the way home we stopped at Baskin Robbins and had some ice cream. We were both exhausted from the day and sacked out asleep before the hour hand clicked to double digits.
- Sunday: We were both awake before nine, but not really moving so we were lazy and laid around in bed, catching up on the internet and on DVR before heading out to brunch around 11:00. When we got home Craig had to get ready for the second day of his select basketball team tryouts and he left shortly after noon to get the gyms set up at school. I was determined to have him proud of the work I accomplished during the day when he got home in the evening so I set about completing the four loads of laundry sitting in baskets in the closet as well as making a list for grocery shopping later. I'm not sure why (and maybe I'll feel differently in five years) but I absolutely love grocery shopping. I love going through the pantry and the refridgerator throwing stuff out and making a list of things we need. I love getting in the car and having an ancient neolithic feeling rise up in my body. "Must get food. Craig need food." You know, the hunter/gatherer type thing. I'm not spearing a mastodon with a handmade javelin or anything. But wading through the unlimited choices that Tom Thumb provides can be quite the jungle. And without my list I really am lost and will end up buying everything to make a lasagna...except the noodles. By the time Craig returned around 7:30 I had washed, dried, folded and put away four loads of laundry, grocery shopped and put them away and ALSO baked a dozen big, fat chocolate chip cookies as a congratulatory present to Craig.
I don't know if you're seeing a bit of a difference between my life "then" and "now" but there is. I'm more and more beginning to see my future and many of the weekends and nights will revolve around basketball and tournaments. Last week when I was a bit more emotional I had a minor breakdown about becoming just a "coaches wife" and losing my identity along the way of supporting him and raising children. He assured me that I could make myself into anything I wanted (or more importantly DIDN'T want) to be.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lately...
Things in my head have been a little...rough. I think the fact that I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders has finally caught up with me and is affecting my sleeping patterns. And when I'm tired...I'm a little cranky and off kilter emotionally. And my sleep patterns definitely have changed. I usually wake up two to three times a night; most likely after an extremely vivid and disturbing nightmares and dreams. And if I don't wake up several times a night? I wake up in the morning just after one of those vivid dreams and if feels like I never went to sleep.
What happens is that I shove everything back in the far recesses of my mind and try to just move on. I'm not sure where I learned this mentality but I have a feeling it stems somewhere from the "tough it out" or "shake it off" comments I heard so many times throughout my athletic career. Either way, I ignore everything for as long as I can until eventually I become a boiling pot that is unwatched...everything starts boiling over and out uncontrollably and it's a mess. And the uninhibited emotions that explode are never aimed at anyone else - it's all directed towards myself. I irrationally blame and beat myself up over every little thing that I might have done wrong. Like I told my mother - I forget about the forest and instead focus on the individual trees. I could go the whole day being a fantastic teacher and coach, but at the end of the day I will focus on the fact that maybe I made an insensitive comment at lunch or that a parent's email expressed frustration with my teaching or the way I run my class. I completely ignore the fact that it was ONE event out of a whole day.
Needless to say...Craig's patience has been infinitely tested this week and I must admit - he has passed with flying colors. Each night this week when I have come home increasingly more upset, he has continued to surprise me with his compassion, reassurance, and tolerance. I even asked him why he put up with me - his answer? Because he loves me. Duh Laura. But it's hard for me to understand why he would want to deal with me like that when I can't deal with me. And then I start feeling guilty for always being the one that has to lean on him for support and then the cycle starts all over again. Do you see the vicious circle I create for myself? Being on the other side of all the emotion, I can look back and see the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but at the time...it was rough.
As far as wedding planning progress that has been made - we have a date, a site, our wedding party, our colors, the honeymoon and my wedding dress picked out and payments have begun to be made. For those of you who are interested:
- Date: March 13, 2010
- Site: A golf resort hotel by Texas Speedway
- Wedding Party: My bridesmaids are Amy Z. (Matron of Honor - BFF from elementary), Jennifer F. (BFF from adulthood), Kate W. (BFF from diapers) and Beri D. (BFF from work). Craig's groomsmen are Ron G. (Best Man - Basketball buddy), Ricky T. (Basketball buddy), Doug W. (Work buddy), Zach F. (The ORIGINAL "buddy").
- Colors: Light green and chocolate brown
- Honeymoon: The Sandals resort in Antigua for a week!
- Dress: Very me...I can't show you on the rare chance that Craig checks this site, but google Maggie Sottero Pressley and you'll see it.
Other than that, we're just ready for tournament season to start so we can really start planning and paying for our wedding. More than that though, I'm ready for our Spring Break vacation to Vegas!!!
What happens is that I shove everything back in the far recesses of my mind and try to just move on. I'm not sure where I learned this mentality but I have a feeling it stems somewhere from the "tough it out" or "shake it off" comments I heard so many times throughout my athletic career. Either way, I ignore everything for as long as I can until eventually I become a boiling pot that is unwatched...everything starts boiling over and out uncontrollably and it's a mess. And the uninhibited emotions that explode are never aimed at anyone else - it's all directed towards myself. I irrationally blame and beat myself up over every little thing that I might have done wrong. Like I told my mother - I forget about the forest and instead focus on the individual trees. I could go the whole day being a fantastic teacher and coach, but at the end of the day I will focus on the fact that maybe I made an insensitive comment at lunch or that a parent's email expressed frustration with my teaching or the way I run my class. I completely ignore the fact that it was ONE event out of a whole day.
Needless to say...Craig's patience has been infinitely tested this week and I must admit - he has passed with flying colors. Each night this week when I have come home increasingly more upset, he has continued to surprise me with his compassion, reassurance, and tolerance. I even asked him why he put up with me - his answer? Because he loves me. Duh Laura. But it's hard for me to understand why he would want to deal with me like that when I can't deal with me. And then I start feeling guilty for always being the one that has to lean on him for support and then the cycle starts all over again. Do you see the vicious circle I create for myself? Being on the other side of all the emotion, I can look back and see the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but at the time...it was rough.
As far as wedding planning progress that has been made - we have a date, a site, our wedding party, our colors, the honeymoon and my wedding dress picked out and payments have begun to be made. For those of you who are interested:
- Date: March 13, 2010
- Site: A golf resort hotel by Texas Speedway
- Wedding Party: My bridesmaids are Amy Z. (Matron of Honor - BFF from elementary), Jennifer F. (BFF from adulthood), Kate W. (BFF from diapers) and Beri D. (BFF from work). Craig's groomsmen are Ron G. (Best Man - Basketball buddy), Ricky T. (Basketball buddy), Doug W. (Work buddy), Zach F. (The ORIGINAL "buddy").
- Colors: Light green and chocolate brown
- Honeymoon: The Sandals resort in Antigua for a week!
- Dress: Very me...I can't show you on the rare chance that Craig checks this site, but google Maggie Sottero Pressley and you'll see it.
Other than that, we're just ready for tournament season to start so we can really start planning and paying for our wedding. More than that though, I'm ready for our Spring Break vacation to Vegas!!!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Big families = Big money
In light of the recent news about the woman having octuplets, in addition to the six that she already has, I have been watching recorded episodes of 17 and Counting - the show about the Duggar family from Arkansas that have 18 children.
Let me say this - I would not normally condone people having enough children to field two baseball teams, but these people seem to really have their act together! I find myself agreeing more and more with their philosophies on life, love and marriage. Granted...I don't see myself tossing out my jeans and sweatpants for long skirts anytime soon, but I do really like how Jim Bob talks about cherishing his wife. He recently gave his about-to-be wed son some advice on listening to women - he said that oftentimes women focus on the details of something and it might take awhile to get to the real point of a story. But he told his son to be patient and listen because it is something that is important to his wife and he should honor that. I like that idea - the concept that even though it might not be of terrible importance to my future spouse, it's important to me and therefore he should honor that.
BUT...a recent episode really bothered me. It was somewhat reticent of the awful way that I think Jon and Kate pimp out their sextuplets and twins for the media as a cash cow for themselves. And besides...Kate's voice and constant nagging really grates on my nerves. Off topic - back to the puppy mill know as the Duggar family. In the beginning of this certain episode, the family was not only being covered and filmed by the TLC crew, but by a French crew as well. The Duggar's are heading off to the "town store" (also known as the commercial giant Wal-Mart which, like the Duggar's, always seems to have a new branch popping up everytime you turn around) and will be signing books for the general public. They not only sign books, but perform a few Christmas carols as well. All the while, the French and TLC crews are filming and the French director is giving his reasoning for interest in this enormous family. Which he summed up as "Only in America." Despite his earnest, eager smile...I don't think he meant this as a compliment.
From all the episodes of this show that I have watched, I have never gotten the sense that the Duggar parents were pimping out their family in an effort to earn money for themselves. I think that they are genuine people who love the Lord and their children, and who also happen to have opened their lives to the country but not for selfish reasons but because they really want to spread what their family is about. But this eerie scene of them in their outdated long, bushy haircuts and their religiously worn skirts - it seemed as if they were putting on a show...that they were trying to become that sensational family that everyone has been talking about just so they could earn the cash from the book.
I will admit it. I was disappointed. I was let down. I really respected these people and they way they raise their children. Their kids seem to be polite, intelligent, caring, respectful and funny little people - exactly the type of child I would like to raise. A bit naive per se...but I think that's absolutely acceptable for children. In my line of work, I'm seeing students younger and younger act years older than their numeric age. It is refreshing to see freshly scrubbed faces that actually sound and act appropriately for their age.
I truly do hope that these parents are as honest and virtuous as they appear to be on tv. If not, I really fear for the future of these children.
Let me say this - I would not normally condone people having enough children to field two baseball teams, but these people seem to really have their act together! I find myself agreeing more and more with their philosophies on life, love and marriage. Granted...I don't see myself tossing out my jeans and sweatpants for long skirts anytime soon, but I do really like how Jim Bob talks about cherishing his wife. He recently gave his about-to-be wed son some advice on listening to women - he said that oftentimes women focus on the details of something and it might take awhile to get to the real point of a story. But he told his son to be patient and listen because it is something that is important to his wife and he should honor that. I like that idea - the concept that even though it might not be of terrible importance to my future spouse, it's important to me and therefore he should honor that.
BUT...a recent episode really bothered me. It was somewhat reticent of the awful way that I think Jon and Kate pimp out their sextuplets and twins for the media as a cash cow for themselves. And besides...Kate's voice and constant nagging really grates on my nerves. Off topic - back to the puppy mill know as the Duggar family. In the beginning of this certain episode, the family was not only being covered and filmed by the TLC crew, but by a French crew as well. The Duggar's are heading off to the "town store" (also known as the commercial giant Wal-Mart which, like the Duggar's, always seems to have a new branch popping up everytime you turn around) and will be signing books for the general public. They not only sign books, but perform a few Christmas carols as well. All the while, the French and TLC crews are filming and the French director is giving his reasoning for interest in this enormous family. Which he summed up as "Only in America." Despite his earnest, eager smile...I don't think he meant this as a compliment.
From all the episodes of this show that I have watched, I have never gotten the sense that the Duggar parents were pimping out their family in an effort to earn money for themselves. I think that they are genuine people who love the Lord and their children, and who also happen to have opened their lives to the country but not for selfish reasons but because they really want to spread what their family is about. But this eerie scene of them in their outdated long, bushy haircuts and their religiously worn skirts - it seemed as if they were putting on a show...that they were trying to become that sensational family that everyone has been talking about just so they could earn the cash from the book.
I will admit it. I was disappointed. I was let down. I really respected these people and they way they raise their children. Their kids seem to be polite, intelligent, caring, respectful and funny little people - exactly the type of child I would like to raise. A bit naive per se...but I think that's absolutely acceptable for children. In my line of work, I'm seeing students younger and younger act years older than their numeric age. It is refreshing to see freshly scrubbed faces that actually sound and act appropriately for their age.
I truly do hope that these parents are as honest and virtuous as they appear to be on tv. If not, I really fear for the future of these children.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It costs WHAT?!?!
Craig and I have started pricing different items to get a better view of what we should expect to spend, how many people we can afford to invite and what type of wedding we would like to have in general. My suggestions of Tahiti or Fiji for the honeymoon have both been shot down, as well as my frustrated decree of us getting married in Vegas over Spring Break.
The first few places that we have looked at, combined with the generalized quotes from friends and family have sent me into quite a tailspin. Not that I'm a cheapskate...I just like spending money on things that I can have right in front of me - like all those clothes in my closet and the several pairs of Nikes, Adidas and Pumas strewn across the floor.
But on a wedding?! I just can't wrap my head around it. I don't care how long we have to pay for everything and I don't care how much anybody's parents will contribute nor do I care how much of it Craig can take care of with his earning's from basketball. It's the principle of the matter.
I want to have a beautiful wedding with all our close friends and family, and I'm not trying to sound outrageously stingy or anything...it's just that since I acquired a mortgage, I'm having a little bit harder time parting with my hard earned money. I have never been in debt and I don't plan on staying in it for very long. We've got a little bit right now but it's just from stuff for the house and I've already made the decision that once these are paid off - that's it! No more debt.
So therefore, I'm not willing to stretch ourselves thin over one day. I just think about all the money that we're going to spend and all I can see is our air conditioner breaking and us having to suffer through the hot Texas summer because we can't pay to get it fixed!
Drastic and dramatic, I know...but I just like to imagine EVERY SINGLE possibility of what can happen. That way, I'm prepared for everything - good or bad. ;) My constant and irrational worrying drives Craig absolutely crazy. But I just don't like being caught off guard because that's when there's a possibility that I could lose control of the situation. And when you lose control of the situation or yourself...bad things happen. I guess if there's anything that Craig could really complain about me and my personality - it would be my constant cautiousness and worrying. And for those of you who knew me back in college...this might sound like a complete different person from the carefree girl that you knew. I sure did enjoy being young and not at all worried about the outcome of my decisions. But I don't think that I was really imagining that there were any bad outcomes to my decisions. I just did what I wanted and I got lucky that nothing bad ever happened. I think that it's only since then - since I've looked back in hindsight and seen the infinite possibilities of what COULD have happened to me during that time. I am damn lucky that I made it out of college alive with only a few bumps, bruises and scrapes - no major damage done.
Maybe it's my job. Maybe it was David. Maybe it's just the way my brain is wired. But whatever the reason - I'm a cautious person. It is really hard for me to revert back to that girl in college. I'm not the party girl anymore and I think sometimes Craig wishes that I would let my hair down and just.....relax...and not worry about the early morning meeting or what might happen if I lose control. Maybe I need to remind myself that he's my safe haven. He's the place that I can be myself and not worry about anything. He's the person that I know will always have my best interest at heart...he won't let anything bad happen. If there is anyone in this world that I can unwind and relax with, it should be with him.
The first few places that we have looked at, combined with the generalized quotes from friends and family have sent me into quite a tailspin. Not that I'm a cheapskate...I just like spending money on things that I can have right in front of me - like all those clothes in my closet and the several pairs of Nikes, Adidas and Pumas strewn across the floor.
But on a wedding?! I just can't wrap my head around it. I don't care how long we have to pay for everything and I don't care how much anybody's parents will contribute nor do I care how much of it Craig can take care of with his earning's from basketball. It's the principle of the matter.
I want to have a beautiful wedding with all our close friends and family, and I'm not trying to sound outrageously stingy or anything...it's just that since I acquired a mortgage, I'm having a little bit harder time parting with my hard earned money. I have never been in debt and I don't plan on staying in it for very long. We've got a little bit right now but it's just from stuff for the house and I've already made the decision that once these are paid off - that's it! No more debt.
So therefore, I'm not willing to stretch ourselves thin over one day. I just think about all the money that we're going to spend and all I can see is our air conditioner breaking and us having to suffer through the hot Texas summer because we can't pay to get it fixed!
Drastic and dramatic, I know...but I just like to imagine EVERY SINGLE possibility of what can happen. That way, I'm prepared for everything - good or bad. ;) My constant and irrational worrying drives Craig absolutely crazy. But I just don't like being caught off guard because that's when there's a possibility that I could lose control of the situation. And when you lose control of the situation or yourself...bad things happen. I guess if there's anything that Craig could really complain about me and my personality - it would be my constant cautiousness and worrying. And for those of you who knew me back in college...this might sound like a complete different person from the carefree girl that you knew. I sure did enjoy being young and not at all worried about the outcome of my decisions. But I don't think that I was really imagining that there were any bad outcomes to my decisions. I just did what I wanted and I got lucky that nothing bad ever happened. I think that it's only since then - since I've looked back in hindsight and seen the infinite possibilities of what COULD have happened to me during that time. I am damn lucky that I made it out of college alive with only a few bumps, bruises and scrapes - no major damage done.
Maybe it's my job. Maybe it was David. Maybe it's just the way my brain is wired. But whatever the reason - I'm a cautious person. It is really hard for me to revert back to that girl in college. I'm not the party girl anymore and I think sometimes Craig wishes that I would let my hair down and just.....relax...and not worry about the early morning meeting or what might happen if I lose control. Maybe I need to remind myself that he's my safe haven. He's the place that I can be myself and not worry about anything. He's the person that I know will always have my best interest at heart...he won't let anything bad happen. If there is anyone in this world that I can unwind and relax with, it should be with him.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Teamwork
Three days into being engaged, I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of putting together the perfect wedding for Craig and myself. In the words of my brother, I get stressed because I just see the BIG picture, while forgetting that the BIG picture is just a bunch of little pictures put together. I focus so much on the entirety of the day, and I forget that it's just a bunch of little things put together and more importantly...I have a lot of friends and family that are more than willing to help me out.
I like choices broken down for me. If there are too many things for me to choose from I get overwhelmed and shut down. For example, when deciding on dinner Craig will ask me where I want to eat. This question is and always has been really hard for me to answer because there are so many choices out there and its hard for me to narrow down the field. BUT...if you give me three names of restaurants, I can definitely choose. That's why I have to make lists - otherwise I just get frustrated and confused in the grocery store. Craig says I have ADD...I think my brain is just so advanced that I process everything in sight very quickly, therefore the wires get a little "fried" sometimes. ;) Along these lines I think is part of the reason that I'm so terrified of starting to plan the wedding. Knowing that there are so many different decisions to make and so many choices to choose from. Google the word "wedding" on the internet and a million sites come up, each offering the "best" wedding experience available. It's enough to make me turn off the computer and take a nap because my brain is overloaded.
BUT the good thing about getting married is the fact that there are TWO people doing the work. And if there is anything that Craig and I are good at - it's working together to accomplish something. We both played a lot of sports growing up and know what it takes to have truly great teamwork. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and allow the other person to take the lead when it's their strength. At the same time, I know that when I get frustrated and overwhelmed, he will have no problem jumping in and taking care of things for me. He truly is my partner and my teammate and with that mindset, we will be able to make everything come together.
Besides - he's already pretty excited...his latest idea? A U2 cover band for the reception. We shall see...
I like choices broken down for me. If there are too many things for me to choose from I get overwhelmed and shut down. For example, when deciding on dinner Craig will ask me where I want to eat. This question is and always has been really hard for me to answer because there are so many choices out there and its hard for me to narrow down the field. BUT...if you give me three names of restaurants, I can definitely choose. That's why I have to make lists - otherwise I just get frustrated and confused in the grocery store. Craig says I have ADD...I think my brain is just so advanced that I process everything in sight very quickly, therefore the wires get a little "fried" sometimes. ;) Along these lines I think is part of the reason that I'm so terrified of starting to plan the wedding. Knowing that there are so many different decisions to make and so many choices to choose from. Google the word "wedding" on the internet and a million sites come up, each offering the "best" wedding experience available. It's enough to make me turn off the computer and take a nap because my brain is overloaded.
BUT the good thing about getting married is the fact that there are TWO people doing the work. And if there is anything that Craig and I are good at - it's working together to accomplish something. We both played a lot of sports growing up and know what it takes to have truly great teamwork. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and allow the other person to take the lead when it's their strength. At the same time, I know that when I get frustrated and overwhelmed, he will have no problem jumping in and taking care of things for me. He truly is my partner and my teammate and with that mindset, we will be able to make everything come together.
Besides - he's already pretty excited...his latest idea? A U2 cover band for the reception. We shall see...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Now what?
So. We're engaged. After all the initial excitement wore off and we told our parents, family and all the friends I could conceivably call during car rides in between dinner, my parent's house and home again...we kind of looked at each other and overwhelming sensation of "oh crap" melted down over us. Craig's knowledge of weddings is limited to the few weddings of my friends that I've dragged him to. Although I have been a part of several beautiful weddings, I have no real idea of how to get started.
I know that I don't want a really huge wedding, but we do have a lot of friends, family and work compadres that want to be a part of our day.
I know that despite Craig's slightly inebriated statement on his birthday in the limo of how we're getting married in Jamaica, we will be getting married somewhere in the greater Fort Worth/Dallas area.
I know that I want my colors to be a chocolate brown and bright, light green...if you've ever seen pictures of my living room or been to my house - look at the pillows and you'll see the colors I'm talking about. In addition to those colors, I want lots and lots of white flowers and candles.
I would love to get married in some historic building with lots of character and places for pretty pictures, but that all depends on how many people end up making the final cut for the guest list. But don't worry - if you're dying to go, we do take bribes. :)
I definitely will NOT be wearing a big and poofy wedding dress. I want it streamlined and simple. Thus...after this blog, I am hitting the gym.
After some intense discussion, we have tentatively decided to place the date of the wedding around March 13th of next year. I originally wanted the Saturday in November right before Thanksgiving, but Craig thought that was too soon. Then I kicked the idea around of June of 2010 so that we woudl have time to do stuff for the wedding once school was out and we wouldn't have to worry about taking days off from work. Craig thought that was too far away. So his suggestion was March of 2010 right before Spring Break. Hmm...I had to think - would my desired theme of hippie wedding in the forest work? Possibly. There is no real significance to the date other than the fact that we both could agree on it. At least we know that we have the ability to compromise in our relationship.
Other than that, I'm pretty terrified of the whole "wedding planning" process, as well as the wedding itself. Not because I don't want to marry Craig - I am just not a girlie girl who gets into stuff like that. And I'm not really comfortable with having a whole day dedicated to me. I don't think that me getting married is enough reason for other people to stop their lives to focus on me. I don't want the next year to be solely focused around the events surrounding March 13, 2010. Don't get me wrong - I'm totally excited about seeing a ring on his hand as well and becoming Mrs. Coach Nelson...I'm just not totally pumped yet about the whole planning process.
I know that I don't want a really huge wedding, but we do have a lot of friends, family and work compadres that want to be a part of our day.
I know that despite Craig's slightly inebriated statement on his birthday in the limo of how we're getting married in Jamaica, we will be getting married somewhere in the greater Fort Worth/Dallas area.
I know that I want my colors to be a chocolate brown and bright, light green...if you've ever seen pictures of my living room or been to my house - look at the pillows and you'll see the colors I'm talking about. In addition to those colors, I want lots and lots of white flowers and candles.
I would love to get married in some historic building with lots of character and places for pretty pictures, but that all depends on how many people end up making the final cut for the guest list. But don't worry - if you're dying to go, we do take bribes. :)
I definitely will NOT be wearing a big and poofy wedding dress. I want it streamlined and simple. Thus...after this blog, I am hitting the gym.
After some intense discussion, we have tentatively decided to place the date of the wedding around March 13th of next year. I originally wanted the Saturday in November right before Thanksgiving, but Craig thought that was too soon. Then I kicked the idea around of June of 2010 so that we woudl have time to do stuff for the wedding once school was out and we wouldn't have to worry about taking days off from work. Craig thought that was too far away. So his suggestion was March of 2010 right before Spring Break. Hmm...I had to think - would my desired theme of hippie wedding in the forest work? Possibly. There is no real significance to the date other than the fact that we both could agree on it. At least we know that we have the ability to compromise in our relationship.
Other than that, I'm pretty terrified of the whole "wedding planning" process, as well as the wedding itself. Not because I don't want to marry Craig - I am just not a girlie girl who gets into stuff like that. And I'm not really comfortable with having a whole day dedicated to me. I don't think that me getting married is enough reason for other people to stop their lives to focus on me. I don't want the next year to be solely focused around the events surrounding March 13, 2010. Don't get me wrong - I'm totally excited about seeing a ring on his hand as well and becoming Mrs. Coach Nelson...I'm just not totally pumped yet about the whole planning process.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Guess what?!
I'm engaged!!!
Craig is definitely the type of guy that once he decides to do something, he focuses on it with a Rainman type intensity and gets it accomplished. Apparently, he woke up this morning, which was a typical Thursday, and decided that today was the day that he would propose.
We went to school, gave some finals, ate some lunch with the staff, had a faculty meeting and parted ways around 2:00. He off to "take his mom to Home Depot" and I had to flag down our busy principal to break the not-so-secret news that Coach Nelson and myself are dating.
After an excrutiatingly nervewracking meeting with my principal discussing my options were Craig and I to get engaged and then married, I left to lesson plan the next six weeks with my cohorts in 6th grade World Geography.
Upon leaving school around 5:15, I noticed a missed phone call from Craig's mom as well as a message. Ignoring the message, I just called Craig to see what was going on; I assumed dinner plans had something to do with the mysterious call. My female intuition was correct and I was informed that I would be attending dinner with Craig, his mom and MeMa...and I needed to figure out what I wanted to eat. "Ooooookay...see you at home honey. We'll talk then" I told him. After three hours of watching kids painstakingly take Geography finals, hand grading those finals, meeting tete a tete with my principal to discuss my relationship status AND reliving a particularly nasty interaction with a prickly coworker earlier this week...I was mentally exhausted and frankly, just looking forward to a nice glass (or two) of wine.
Craig was pulling into the driveway just as I was inching into the garage, careful not to drive PAST the strategically placed string that hangs from the ceiling. As he walked into the kitchen, I blurted out in a slightly verbal diarrhea way about my conversation with Mr. Taggart about our relationship. Craig seemed a little surprised and bemused by my earnest and anxious tale of the day. Soon after, I followed him upstairs to change into something more appropriate for dinner. In the midst of rifling through my overloaded t-shirt drawer, Craig came up and started asking some questions.
Craig: "Do you think things happen for a reason?"
Laura (slightly confused, but yet intrigued): "Umm...like us meeting? Do you?"
Craig: shrugs and says "Yeah. I do."
Laura (still trying to process this mysterious conversation): "Do you believe in soul mates to?"
Craig (with a smirk): "Yeah."
Laura (figuring I might as well milk this stange mood for all it's worth): "Do you think that I'm yours?"
Craig (confidently): "Yes. I definitely do."
Then he sat me on the edge of the bed and started digging into the pocket of his favorite navy Adidas athletic pants and pulled out a little black box. Which was promptly followed by the most important question of my life... "Well, then will you marry me?"
Alright. Let's freeze frame on this little movie I'm describing for you. At this point I was completely in shock. I tunnel visioned in on that little box and barely heard what he had asked. Of course I knew what I wanted to answer, but I couldn't believe that it was really happening. But...the first words out of my mouth were:
"No way! Are you serious? This isn't a joke? You're...like...for real. For real, for real?" (Somehow this experience reverted me back to the vocabulary of my 8th grade athletes)
He's standing there with the ring box open and repeating that he was indeed serious, not playing a joke and that it was all real. Finally, after some screeching and jumping up and down, I allowed him to put the gorgeous ring on my finger. I screamed yes and jumped on him in a big hug.
Sooo...the moral of the engagement story? Craig will always be able to absolutely surprise me.
Craig is definitely the type of guy that once he decides to do something, he focuses on it with a Rainman type intensity and gets it accomplished. Apparently, he woke up this morning, which was a typical Thursday, and decided that today was the day that he would propose.
We went to school, gave some finals, ate some lunch with the staff, had a faculty meeting and parted ways around 2:00. He off to "take his mom to Home Depot" and I had to flag down our busy principal to break the not-so-secret news that Coach Nelson and myself are dating.
After an excrutiatingly nervewracking meeting with my principal discussing my options were Craig and I to get engaged and then married, I left to lesson plan the next six weeks with my cohorts in 6th grade World Geography.
Upon leaving school around 5:15, I noticed a missed phone call from Craig's mom as well as a message. Ignoring the message, I just called Craig to see what was going on; I assumed dinner plans had something to do with the mysterious call. My female intuition was correct and I was informed that I would be attending dinner with Craig, his mom and MeMa...and I needed to figure out what I wanted to eat. "Ooooookay...see you at home honey. We'll talk then" I told him. After three hours of watching kids painstakingly take Geography finals, hand grading those finals, meeting tete a tete with my principal to discuss my relationship status AND reliving a particularly nasty interaction with a prickly coworker earlier this week...I was mentally exhausted and frankly, just looking forward to a nice glass (or two) of wine.
Craig was pulling into the driveway just as I was inching into the garage, careful not to drive PAST the strategically placed string that hangs from the ceiling. As he walked into the kitchen, I blurted out in a slightly verbal diarrhea way about my conversation with Mr. Taggart about our relationship. Craig seemed a little surprised and bemused by my earnest and anxious tale of the day. Soon after, I followed him upstairs to change into something more appropriate for dinner. In the midst of rifling through my overloaded t-shirt drawer, Craig came up and started asking some questions.
Craig: "Do you think things happen for a reason?"
Laura (slightly confused, but yet intrigued): "Umm...like us meeting? Do you?"
Craig: shrugs and says "Yeah. I do."
Laura (still trying to process this mysterious conversation): "Do you believe in soul mates to?"
Craig (with a smirk): "Yeah."
Laura (figuring I might as well milk this stange mood for all it's worth): "Do you think that I'm yours?"
Craig (confidently): "Yes. I definitely do."
Then he sat me on the edge of the bed and started digging into the pocket of his favorite navy Adidas athletic pants and pulled out a little black box. Which was promptly followed by the most important question of my life... "Well, then will you marry me?"
Alright. Let's freeze frame on this little movie I'm describing for you. At this point I was completely in shock. I tunnel visioned in on that little box and barely heard what he had asked. Of course I knew what I wanted to answer, but I couldn't believe that it was really happening. But...the first words out of my mouth were:
"No way! Are you serious? This isn't a joke? You're...like...for real. For real, for real?" (Somehow this experience reverted me back to the vocabulary of my 8th grade athletes)
He's standing there with the ring box open and repeating that he was indeed serious, not playing a joke and that it was all real. Finally, after some screeching and jumping up and down, I allowed him to put the gorgeous ring on my finger. I screamed yes and jumped on him in a big hug.
Sooo...the moral of the engagement story? Craig will always be able to absolutely surprise me.
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