The Deed is Done

Yes, I am now a married woman. The day itself (September 29th) could not have been more beautiful. After raining Thursday and being overcast Friday, Saturday the skies opened up and the sun was shining full force! Thank goodness as that was the one thing I couldn't plan for. Speaking of which...

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I learned that being as organized (actually "anal" is a better term) as we were, there was nearly no stress the week leading up to the wedding. Why? BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS DONE AND TAKEN CARE OF!! What a crazy idea...I know. Imagine actually having the details taken care of so that all you have to do is show up at the church and then the reception hall...whoa! Although there was a small incident with the church flowers that I learned about from my husband after the ceremony...they almost weren't at the church (he forget them at home and then rushed back to get them only to arrive at the church 5 minutes before me...with the help of my brother). I'm sure it was a hilarious series of events, but I am glad that I was blissfully unaware of what was taking place.

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The ceremony and reception were just amazing. Both sides of the family had one heck of a party...I loved every minute of it!

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It goes by so quickly...If there was one thing I would say to future brides it's this: take the time to enjoy what is happening around you. Every once in a while take a step back and just take it all in. I did and I am glad that I took that time because I got to observe everyone who loves us having a great time celebrating one heck of a union ;)

Stress is Starting to Kick In...

I actually had a dream (okay, more like a nightmare) last night about the wedding day. This is what happened...

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It was the day of the wedding and I was running out of time to get ready. I realized I had never had my make-up trial and had to call someone and just trust that they would do a good job. When the girl was done I had teal eyeshadow and bright orange lipstick! Shades of Mimi, anyone? I was horrified and saying how I looked awful and of course the bridesmaids were saying I looked fine and that it wasn't so bad...Next thing to upset me: my bouquet. It was smaller than the ones the bridesmaids had and it was not at all what I wanted. It was a huge puffy white bow with 3 flowers attached that were not even close to my color scheme or flower choices. Then as I was getting ready for my grand entrance, we realized the groom wan't there. He was actually still in bed sleeping! And to top it all off, it was pouring rain outside!!!

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Okay, I have been calm, cool and collected right up until now. It seems that my subconscious is going haywire. Only 11 days to go...I can do this...I really can! I am not nervous about getting married, just that I am going to forget to take care of something along the way..

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Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out...I just need to make sure I do it evenly enough to keep from hyperventilating...ha! ha!

1, 2, 3...again!

We are now 2 weeks away from the wedding and we decided that we would like our first dance to be a nice one...preferably with both of us following the same rhythm. So, we looked up a dance instructor in the area and decided to invest in a block of 10 classes. Our first night we brought in the piece of music we had chosen and asked to be taught to waltz. Because of the song we chose we had to learn the Viennese Waltz, which is a much faster waltz. Talk about jumping right into the deep end!

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I never realized just how much pressure really is on the man, but now I do. It's true that the man really needs to be the lead or else the woman can't do her thing. So now Rob is starting to feel pressure. Oh no, not about the wedding, but about the first dance. I think we walk around with this mantra going around our heads "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...left turn, right turn". AAHHHHHH!!!

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We have had 4 lessons and have an entrance (practicing since the first class), two runs of the left turn (the second and third classes) and then 2 runs of the right turn (which we just learned last night). Thank goodness we both love our instructor. We hit it off right from the beginning and are thinking that we'd like to take more lessons after the wedding (maybe salsa). We would highly recommend him to anyone interested in taking dance lessons as his criticisms are extremely constructive and he has a wicked sense of humor.

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We are taking 2-3 lessons a week hoping to cram it all in before the big day. Our very last class before the wedding will be the day before and at the hall. Our instructor was the one who said that he had no problem with meeting us at the reception hall to do the last hour on the actual floor we will be using for the dance. Considering that the reception hall is 30-40 minutes away, we were quite impressed that he had no problems with that (and the staff at the hall were very accommodating as well).

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So, for the next 2 weeks I have to practice being elegant (ha!) and have to make sure that I let Rob lead (a common problem for most women). Keep your fingers crossed that we can learn when to cross the feet and when not to or we may just end up being in a large heap on the floor (looking like a large white and black mess).

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That's what we get for choosing a song that we saw used for a waltz on "So You Think You Can Dance"...Ha! Ha!

Food Tasting

Tonight was a fun night for Rob and me. We got to do the food tasting at the reception hall. I must say that we are stuffed and quite happy with the food choices. People are going to eat well!

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We have chosen roast beef as the main course and were glad to taste it. Should go over well with everyone attending the wedding festivities.

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We treated our night as an upscale dinner date and had fun brainstorming about things like the songs the bridal party will come in on. Ours is soooooo us (but I'll have to wait to reveal it later as we don't want to spoil the surprise). All I can say is we are gonna "work it"...lol.

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I also got to do my hair trial this morning and be all pretty and girlie. The girls got their hair done too and we were all happy with the outcome. Now I just need to get a make-up trial and we're good for the look! Smaller details are left...2 more weekends (one which is tied up in the bridal shower and hair color touch-ups...it's speeding up!

24 Days and Counting...

Okay, so I have been incognito for some time now. I must say that this month won't be any better because the wedding is 24 days away! We are now coming into the final stretch and there are lots of little details to take care of. I am very glad we took care of all the big things a LONG time ago. We should end up with about 100 people (which includes us and the live band). Should be a good party.

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I have put together a few decorations and they went really well (the bows and gift box as seen in the pictures). Not too shabby, eh? I will maybe chronicle a few things along the way, but I am making no promises...

The New Addiction...

Okay, so I started off doing the blogging thing thinking I couldn't believe how much time I would spend on it when I started putting my thoughts down. Now I think it was just a precursor to my newest addiction: FACEBOOK!

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I have been able to get in touch with people I had lost track of long ago and have been able to share pictures with everyone that I label as my "friend"...this way I can keep strangers from seeing all my pics (why I was always hesitant to put my pic on Blogger).

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Facebook actually made things a little bit easier to go to my 15-year high school reunion because many of us took the opportunity to start chatting a bit before we saw each other again. It made for a very smooth transition and a really successful evening :)

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So, for those of you who know me: go ahead and look for me on Facebook, add me as a friend and then we can touch base again. You'll love it!

This One's For Nicky

Back in December, Nicky tagged me on a challenge. She asked that people add a picture of themselves from the very moment they read her blog. That meant no primping, no getting make-up, NOTHING! So here is the pic I took that very night after a long day of singing Christmas carols in a local mall (I believe that the redness of my face was from having just washed all my make-up off...if only I had known...). For better or for worse, this is me "au naturel"...

Where is Spring Hiding???

Just when it seemed that spring was finally here (last weekend was beautiful), we got cold weather again and a light sprinkling of snow. Has Mother Nature not checked her calendar??? I was speaking with a friend today and he said that since we didn't really have any snow around at Christmastime someone must have figured we should have some at one major holiday. So Easter it is! One of these days I would like to be able to throw open all the windows and then go down the street to walk along the water. I am counting down the days...

Destination Honeymoon

Well, we've booked our honeymoon flight and hotel package. Where are we going? One of the most romantic places we know: Rome, Italy! Neither of us has been to Europe before and we are looking forward to our 8 days in Rome. My fiancé is excited about structures like the Colosseum, while I am excited about just about everything there, from the little back streets to the Trevi Fountain. I'd better make sure that my digital camera has plenty of space and battery power. We will be staying at a hotel called Gea di Vulcano and from the pictures I have seen, it seems to be a quaint little place with a lot of charm. This should be quite the adventure...I bought a book that has a bunch of walking tours in it (gonna need some really good walking shoes as we plan to do a LOT of walking). I will definitely be studying what's there before we go, but I am sure that once we are there, we will end up just taking each day as it comes and playing it by ear. Can't wait...

How Could I Forget Clive?

Well, as I was sitting on the couch in my pajamas last night watching all the stars on the Oscars all donning their finest, I came to a conclusion...OMG! When I did my Top 5, I completely forgot Clive Owen!!! How could I? He is definitely hot stuff (and did anyone see how hot he was in his suit last night? ROWR!). When I originally did my Top 5, I got to the last one and was struggling to remember who it should be and now I realize that Vince Vaughn would not have made the cut had I remembered the man I loved watching on the screen as King Arthur. It's pretty impressive when someone's looks alone cause you to allow all the discrepancies in the story and like the movie regardless. Soooooo....I am declaring Clive Owen as a hottie in my books!

This is Frightening...Almost TOO Easy

Okay, so today marks one month since I became an engaged woman. So far this is what's already lined up:

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1) the church

2) the hall

3) the entertainment for the reception

4) the photographer

5) my dress, veil and tiara

6) a limo is in the works, we are shopping around for prices

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Am I crazy or does this seem a little TOO easy? Both of us have agreed on all choices (except my attire because we are keeping with tradition and he doesn't get to see it until the Big Day) and have found some great deals (my dress was bought at a boutique that was closing down so the dresses were all 50% off!!!). We have been able to keep within budget and have not argued over any of the details we have already taken care of. Maybe I should look at this as a sign that things are meant to be rather than some sort of quiet disaster hiding in the shadows ready to ambush us when we least expect it. Maybe we should look into being wedding planners after this...lol...talk about organized! Even my own mother is surprised at how quickly we have lined all our ducks up. I have always been the type to get things done when I set my mind to it, but geez...

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We'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the time leading up to our actual wedding day goes. Here's to hoping it keeps to the smooth path...

My Kinda Sound

So, who out there saw any of last season's American Idol? And who also thought that Chris Daughtry was quite the rocker? I must admit that I gravitate to rocker types as that is the music I love. I was bummed when he got the boot, but has he ever proven people wrong! Last night I was listening to the radio and heard a song for the first time that automatically caught my attention. As luck would have it I never got to hear the artist's name (but I could've sworn it sounded eerily like Chris Daughtry's voice). Well, Lady Luck was smiling on me because I heard it again tonight and decided that the title must be "It's Not Over" after hearing the chorus. I came home and did a search on Google and lo and behold, the song is by a group called....Daughtry! Guess who the lead singer is...Yup, my ears did not deceive me. I should've known that there would not be anyone else with that distinct vibrato while singing in the rock world. I must say that this first release has made an impression on me. I hope that the rest of the band's music is as good as this song promises. To think that the group Fuel (another of my favorites) had approached Chris to front the band and he actually decided to venture out on his own. That could've been really dumb, but turned out to be pretty gutsy on his part. Quick sidenote: my favorite song by Fuel, which I can listen to over and over again is "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)"...kinda like the Daughtry song...If you get a chance, give it a listen and let me know what you think...I am always looking for new rock music...

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Go here to click on the link to play the song by Daughtry http://music.aol.com/artist/daughtry/815153/main and enjoy!