So I walked in the front door yesterday and there were presents awaiting us!
Our first shower gifts from Bed Bath & Beyond were just sitting my apartment, begging to be opened. Our first shower (yes, our families are throwing us two), is this Saturday so we were not sure of protocol - could we open it before the shower? We decided we should at least open the FedEx shipping box to see who they're from.....
The first one was from our two friends, and we were having dinner with her that night! We could clear our Conscience if she said it was okay we figured. So after a lovely night of tapas, we got home and tore them apart.
With a little over 2 months to go, seeing the gifts was a very real wake-up call that said, "HOLY CRAP - THE WEDDING IS REALLY REALLY REALLY CLOSE!"
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
68 Days and Counting
Yes, you read that right. In a mere 68 days, I will be somebody’s wife. It seems to have snuck up on me with alarming speed, and, quite frankly, I’m exhausted. All of the sudden, I find myself worrying about the “enoughs”. I feel not tan enough for my fittings, skinny enough to eat my favorite foods, and coordinated enough to pull off slow dancing in front of all the significant people in my life. To top it all off, I’m trying to choose a grad school for the fall, am gearing up to tackle a new position at work next year, and I’m worrying about fitting in enough runs to PR in the Rock and Roll Marathon August 2nd. Sigh….
To top it all off, lately I’m hearing anti-wedding banter everywhere I turn. Girls at a recent after work happy hour announced their intentions to never have wedding showers, big, formal weddings, or weddings in which they would have to invite people they didn’t want to. Many of our friends, while trying to be supportive, end up looking slightly bemused at our never ending Google calendar of events, and proclaim that they never want a “production” for their weddings.
I, on the other hand, when I can let enough be enough, am more than happy when I think about our plans. What people forget when they think about our 250 person, Catholic ceremony, country club reception traditional wedding, is that Kevin and I do everything big. We hold hands, and we jump in. We have lives full of enormous south side families, friends that we’ve known for more than half our lives, and two insane kittens. Our lives are not the quiet lives of people content to live out their routines. We switch job positions, intermural sports teams, favorite bands, and go to items of clothing with alarming frequency. It’s who we are.
I guess what I need to remember in the middle of all the details, battles with my mom over wedding shoes (I WANT FLATS DAMNIT) and finalizing the linens, is that when it’s all said and done, Kevin and I will be married- partners in crime for whatever adventure we choose to jump into. For me, that’s more than enough. Everything else needs to come in second place for now.
To top it all off, lately I’m hearing anti-wedding banter everywhere I turn. Girls at a recent after work happy hour announced their intentions to never have wedding showers, big, formal weddings, or weddings in which they would have to invite people they didn’t want to. Many of our friends, while trying to be supportive, end up looking slightly bemused at our never ending Google calendar of events, and proclaim that they never want a “production” for their weddings.
I, on the other hand, when I can let enough be enough, am more than happy when I think about our plans. What people forget when they think about our 250 person, Catholic ceremony, country club reception traditional wedding, is that Kevin and I do everything big. We hold hands, and we jump in. We have lives full of enormous south side families, friends that we’ve known for more than half our lives, and two insane kittens. Our lives are not the quiet lives of people content to live out their routines. We switch job positions, intermural sports teams, favorite bands, and go to items of clothing with alarming frequency. It’s who we are.
I guess what I need to remember in the middle of all the details, battles with my mom over wedding shoes (I WANT FLATS DAMNIT) and finalizing the linens, is that when it’s all said and done, Kevin and I will be married- partners in crime for whatever adventure we choose to jump into. For me, that’s more than enough. Everything else needs to come in second place for now.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
RE: Clothes Woes
WHAT?!?!
I used to be a much more organized person, I believe it all started to go downhill when I lived in the city, and my apartment became Colie's weekend get-away. Suddenly, I had my own clothes and a lot of very tiny girl clothes all over the place. Yes she would take most home with her, but I would still find random pairs of sweatpants that do not fit me (there have been a few times when I've put my feet through a pair of black sweatpants only to find out that they're juussttt a bit short).
Now just yesterday, I got home from work and got three loads of laundry done in 4.5 hours and put most of them away. Now, Nicole beats my home most days by at least an hour so I'm not sure HOW all these clothes can pile up as frequently as they do. It seems that there's more than enough time for both of us to do them in such a way that there isn't 3 hampers full of clean clothes at a time!
I used to be a much more organized person, I believe it all started to go downhill when I lived in the city, and my apartment became Colie's weekend get-away. Suddenly, I had my own clothes and a lot of very tiny girl clothes all over the place. Yes she would take most home with her, but I would still find random pairs of sweatpants that do not fit me (there have been a few times when I've put my feet through a pair of black sweatpants only to find out that they're juussttt a bit short).
Now just yesterday, I got home from work and got three loads of laundry done in 4.5 hours and put most of them away. Now, Nicole beats my home most days by at least an hour so I'm not sure HOW all these clothes can pile up as frequently as they do. It seems that there's more than enough time for both of us to do them in such a way that there isn't 3 hampers full of clean clothes at a time!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Clothes Woes
We have a serious issue with clothing in our house. While neither of us is particularly stylish, we have clothes everywhere. Jeans lurk under coffee tables, baskets of white undershirts peep out from behind closet doors, and stray sweat absorbent articles are more prevalent then carpeting on our floors. There’s no way around it- our home perpetually looks like a yard sale.
Over Spring Break I decided to get in touch with my inner June Cleaver and really tidy things up. I did the deep clean that I normally reserve for post-party films of gunk FOR NO REASON AT ALL! I folded sports bras, washed hoodies, and left stacks of fluffy, warm, fresh breeze stacks of goodness for Kevin to come home and savor before filing them according to his indecipherable man system of drawers.
Well, he came, he savored, and now we have clean clothes in the same spots that the dirty ones used to reside in. And while I am just as guilty as he is of lackadaisical housekeeping, I wonder, what more could I have done? Maybe next time I’ll hide his whiskey in the bottom of a clothes pile, just to see if it inspires him. I’m going to St. Louis to run as part of a marathon relay team this weekend, and (hint, hint, hint) it would be glorious not to come home to the clothes baskets still sitting full of his clothes. Kevin, if you are reading this, please for the love of all things Jim Beam, do not make me hide your sauce.
Over Spring Break I decided to get in touch with my inner June Cleaver and really tidy things up. I did the deep clean that I normally reserve for post-party films of gunk FOR NO REASON AT ALL! I folded sports bras, washed hoodies, and left stacks of fluffy, warm, fresh breeze stacks of goodness for Kevin to come home and savor before filing them according to his indecipherable man system of drawers.
Well, he came, he savored, and now we have clean clothes in the same spots that the dirty ones used to reside in. And while I am just as guilty as he is of lackadaisical housekeeping, I wonder, what more could I have done? Maybe next time I’ll hide his whiskey in the bottom of a clothes pile, just to see if it inspires him. I’m going to St. Louis to run as part of a marathon relay team this weekend, and (hint, hint, hint) it would be glorious not to come home to the clothes baskets still sitting full of his clothes. Kevin, if you are reading this, please for the love of all things Jim Beam, do not make me hide your sauce.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pretty much identical to Superman
Yeah, that's me. I saved some lives today, granted it wasn't as "impressive" as Superman swooping in to stop a train, but it's basically the same - I donated blood.
So for about the next week, I will look down with scorn upon those who HAVEN'T saved someone...until my asshole coworker who donated a kidney puts me in my place with THEIR story about it.
So for about the next week, I will look down with scorn upon those who HAVEN'T saved someone...until my asshole coworker who donated a kidney puts me in my place with THEIR story about it.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wedding Banned
One of the many great things about being a second grade teacher is Spring Break. Due to the many “to-do” items on my long list and a ridiculously small amount of funding, I decided to stay home in Chicago and bum around. As I began to revise my to do lists and ponder what the ratio of being productive vs. laying around and reading would be for the week, I realized something- Kevin and I need wedding bands.
A few days later, we walked into “our” jewelry store in the loop, ready to browse. I adore, ADORE, adore my engagement ring from their shop, and they have worked with a majority of Kev’s family. As they pulled out rings, we found Kevin’s band fairly easily- plain white gold with a hint of finishing. I admit, seeing him wearing a ring really made me realize how close the wedding is- in a good way. He, on the other hand, deemed it sufficient to warn the ladies that he was taken, and decided to just wait patiently while I tried on a ton of rings. After a lengthy search, I found one I adored that matched his well and looked great with my engagement ring. Alas, it costs four times what his ring does, and is way out of our budget. Isn’t that the way things always go?
In the days that followed, we tried going to the mall to find something similar but cheaper, and found nothing. I searched the internet for ideas, and found nothing. I guess Kevin was right- I’m more expensive than I give myself credit for. I’m still not quite sure what I’m going to do, but I do know one thing- with 82 days until the wedding, I need to decide soon.
A few days later, we walked into “our” jewelry store in the loop, ready to browse. I adore, ADORE, adore my engagement ring from their shop, and they have worked with a majority of Kev’s family. As they pulled out rings, we found Kevin’s band fairly easily- plain white gold with a hint of finishing. I admit, seeing him wearing a ring really made me realize how close the wedding is- in a good way. He, on the other hand, deemed it sufficient to warn the ladies that he was taken, and decided to just wait patiently while I tried on a ton of rings. After a lengthy search, I found one I adored that matched his well and looked great with my engagement ring. Alas, it costs four times what his ring does, and is way out of our budget. Isn’t that the way things always go?
In the days that followed, we tried going to the mall to find something similar but cheaper, and found nothing. I searched the internet for ideas, and found nothing. I guess Kevin was right- I’m more expensive than I give myself credit for. I’m still not quite sure what I’m going to do, but I do know one thing- with 82 days until the wedding, I need to decide soon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Too Much at 7:45 AM
So this morning walking to my office, I got a chance to see how wonderful the 1st Amendment really is. I get off the L, and walk a few blocks and have to pass through 3 blocks straight of 5 foot high pictures of aborted fetuses and people handing out flyers about how "God doesn't kill" and all that.
Now I support the Constitution and all that, but you've got to be kidding me with all this.
I'm fully aware that not everyone in the world shares my opinion on things, although they should - I rule, but why does this have to be before 8 AM? I'm glad that there are people out there who truly feel the call to fight for their beliefs, but please don't throw it in my face. I can't believe there are a lot of people out there who suddenly change their beliefs because you see something on a poster or read it on a bumper sticker.
Now I support the Constitution and all that, but you've got to be kidding me with all this.
I'm fully aware that not everyone in the world shares my opinion on things, although they should - I rule, but why does this have to be before 8 AM? I'm glad that there are people out there who truly feel the call to fight for their beliefs, but please don't throw it in my face. I can't believe there are a lot of people out there who suddenly change their beliefs because you see something on a poster or read it on a bumper sticker.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
We Passed!
If I have learned one thing throughout this wedding process, it is that things are complicated. K and I met, fell in love ten years later, decided to get married for a multitude of reasons, and figured that we’d have a beautiful wedding in a sun-filled church, per our values growing up and family tradition.
That last sentence is where things get tricky. K and I both come from a long line of south-side Catholics, which means we will have a lengthy, traditional wedding mass. To have said mass, we are required to go to a nine hour premarital counseling session. Yes, nine hours, which we completed last weekend.
Now, before you read further you should know that I don’t think it’s a bad idea to require counseling before marriage. With the divorce rate the way it is, and the amount of people that rush into marriage because they dream of having a wedding, I think it’s a good idea to have an outside party guide you through the tough questions. In fact, I was a little nervous as I pondered what “sticky” discussions we’d have to have before earning our PreCana diploma. K and I woke up bright and early, and arrived at a church in a nearby suburb ready to settle in for the next few hours.
The teacher in me is frustrated by how the day was actually conducted. We spent eight hours filling out worksheets, comparing our worksheets, and discussing what we wrote. EIGHT HOURS. They didn’t even give us lunch. We sat in a big room, with our workbooks, forty other couples, led by a “real life married couple” who didn’t seem to have any chemistry or interest in talking to each other, let alone us. While going through topics such as finance, children, communication, common goals, and housework, what truly surprised me about the whole experience was the number of couples who HADN’T discussed these issues ahead of time. There were couples having major discussions and seemed surprised by their partners’ answers. How can you get engaged, or be in a serious relationship without discussing these issues? Maybe I’m just old-fashioned.
Long story short, K and I reaffirmed that we’re on the same page, spent a lot of time sitting knee to knee without much to talk about (since we didn’t have any shocking revelations), and set some goals. We’re going to run a half marathon together soon, and I’m pretty sure Jesus called my lovely husband-elect to get me a puppy. 88 days until the wedding- now let’s not lose our index card that says we passed the class.
That last sentence is where things get tricky. K and I both come from a long line of south-side Catholics, which means we will have a lengthy, traditional wedding mass. To have said mass, we are required to go to a nine hour premarital counseling session. Yes, nine hours, which we completed last weekend.
Now, before you read further you should know that I don’t think it’s a bad idea to require counseling before marriage. With the divorce rate the way it is, and the amount of people that rush into marriage because they dream of having a wedding, I think it’s a good idea to have an outside party guide you through the tough questions. In fact, I was a little nervous as I pondered what “sticky” discussions we’d have to have before earning our PreCana diploma. K and I woke up bright and early, and arrived at a church in a nearby suburb ready to settle in for the next few hours.
The teacher in me is frustrated by how the day was actually conducted. We spent eight hours filling out worksheets, comparing our worksheets, and discussing what we wrote. EIGHT HOURS. They didn’t even give us lunch. We sat in a big room, with our workbooks, forty other couples, led by a “real life married couple” who didn’t seem to have any chemistry or interest in talking to each other, let alone us. While going through topics such as finance, children, communication, common goals, and housework, what truly surprised me about the whole experience was the number of couples who HADN’T discussed these issues ahead of time. There were couples having major discussions and seemed surprised by their partners’ answers. How can you get engaged, or be in a serious relationship without discussing these issues? Maybe I’m just old-fashioned.
Long story short, K and I reaffirmed that we’re on the same page, spent a lot of time sitting knee to knee without much to talk about (since we didn’t have any shocking revelations), and set some goals. We’re going to run a half marathon together soon, and I’m pretty sure Jesus called my lovely husband-elect to get me a puppy. 88 days until the wedding- now let’s not lose our index card that says we passed the class.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Hell Spawn
Every single morning at 5:30, the moment the alarm goes off, the Hell Spawns begin clawing at our bedroom. I then attempted to outsmart them, yes - I had to type "attempted." I started bringing our squirt bottle into the bedroom, and would open the door a crack and start spraying them, causing them to scatter.
This worked for about 4 days...
Starting the 4th day, the cats would still claw at the door, but then as soon as they heard me get off the bed, they would scatter. I would open the door, bottle in hand, and there would be no cats. As soon as I closed the door, they would come back to scratch! As soon as Colie gets up and starts showering, they're done clawing for the day! I cannot figure out a way to stop them. I'm getting outsmarted by two brains that combine to be the size of my fist!
They've come a long way from this:
This worked for about 4 days...
Starting the 4th day, the cats would still claw at the door, but then as soon as they heard me get off the bed, they would scatter. I would open the door, bottle in hand, and there would be no cats. As soon as I closed the door, they would come back to scratch! As soon as Colie gets up and starts showering, they're done clawing for the day! I cannot figure out a way to stop them. I'm getting outsmarted by two brains that combine to be the size of my fist!
They've come a long way from this:
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