The Big Day +2
Jun 9th
Just saying Hi from the North Shore. The wedding was wonderful and the weather was gorgeous. We can’t wait to see all the pictures.
The time! It is flying!
May 28th
10 days left. And still so much to do. And we are having people stay at our apartment this weekend and it’s still full of boxes and such (although when Ryan’s desk gets here that will help).
I apologize for the lack of posting lately, but you’ll have to forgive me. Apparently I’m getting married in 10 DAYS!!! And there is a lot of stuff to do to get ready to get married. Especially when moving TAKES OVER YOUR LIFE for like 3 weeks. I’m so over moving it’s not even funny. Thankfully, I think we are done. Ryan has to go back and take down the internet (hahahaha….Ryan is taking down the internet…like it’s a tube that you can take down….shut up. I thought it was funny). And he has to take down the christmas lights that have been attached to our upstairs deck for a year and a half (oops).
Well, it’s time to head to work. Only 3 days left including today. Which would be awesome if I didn’t have SO MUCH WORK to do. And if I knew how to prepare for being gone for 2 weeks. Yikes. Any advice, internets?? I’ve never missed this much work in a row….especially not at a real job that has actual work involved that can’t just be taken over by someone else easily.
If I don’t get back here (although I hope to, but the way things are going…probably not so much), I will talk to you all after I become Mrs. instead of Miss. Yay!
10 DAYS!!
Our new place!
May 18th
This is my first blog entry from Ryan’s and my new apartment. It is very exciting to be here! We are mostly moved in. There are still a lot of boxes to unpack, but we are definitely living here, and we don’t have much left at the old house. Poor Sam is going to come home to a much less full place. We did tell him we would be moving this weekend, though, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. As you can see, we have our priorities in order – internet before pretty much anything else. It’s nice having a fiance who works for an ISP.
Our new kitchen is pretty small, which will be a challenge. We have room for most of our stuff so far, but we haven’t put any food in it yet really – that should be the biggest challenge. Our old place had a pantry, and while it was small it was very handy for keeping dry stuff. Oh well, we’ll figure it out. :-)
My feet are tired from moving, so I’m sitting on the couch listening to Reel Big Fish (Sell out! With me, oh yah. Sell out! With me tonight.). I’m supposed to be balancing my checkbook though, so I should get around to that before Ryan comes and lectures me. He’s such a slave driver. ;-)
It’s all good.
May 13th
I use that phrase a lot. “It’s all good” can apply in so many situations – something was screwed up and someone fixed it for you and apologized – “It’s all good.” Someone thinks you are worried about something that you aren’t too concerned about – “It’s all good.” How’s life going in general, how’s the wedding planning, any random how are you question – “It’s all good.” I like it because it is short, and usually reflects my actual attitude about things. It may not be perfect, but it is good. :-)
Things are really coming together this week. We moved about a quarter of our belongings last weekend, including some of the big stuff, and we are planning on keeping the moving going during the week and finishing off the rest of the big stuff this weekend. We might have a tiny bit to do after the weekend, but we plan on living in the apartment after this weekend, which is awesome.
I got my maid of honor (Hi, Gwen!) the correct size dress yesterday, so that is taken care of, and while I was in there they had me try on my dress, redid a couple of the bustles that needed to be moved up a little bit, and I got to take that one home too. So they are both hanging in the new apartment, waiting for the wedding to get here.
Today Ryan and I are going to the county office to get our marriage license. I told him that I promised not to break down in hysterics this time…I think I was a little stressed last week when we went, and it just pushed me over the edge. I’m actually just kind of excited to go, and to hopefully get to have lunch with Ryan afterward. Considering we both work downtown and only about a block apart we don’t have lunch together nearly often enough. Darn his job and it’s crazy schedule and location hopping. ;-)
Well, back to work. I’m trying to get ahead, but first I need to do some stuff to just get even. It will all work out. It’s all good.
For Serial
May 9th
Ryan and I went to the courthouse today over our lunch break to get our marriage license. I was uber-prepared (unsurprising, I know). I had the whole form filled out except for the one piece of Ryan’s information I wasn’t sure on. I had our pre-marital counselling certificate from the church. I had my checkbook. I even decided on what name I’ll have after we are married (Tawanda. What do you think??). AND I brought a camera to capture our happy faces after getting the license (Shut up. I saw other people’s and it looked like a cute idea). And then, in a matter of seconds, we were shot down. Apparently, the church put my name down as Becky instead of Rebecca on the pre-marital certificate. And because it is the government receiving this very un-official document it must match EXACTLY. I guess I understand. But seriously…is there really a Becky VeryUniqueLastName out there that they think took the class for me??
Anyway, I already called the church lady (who is very nice, by the way, even though she apparently doesn’t realize the importance of using a person’s legal name on certificates going to the County). She is sending us a new certificate, so we should be able to go get 1-step-closer-to-legal next week. I’ll report back sometime after that to let you know how exciting I’m sure it will be. If I figure out how (last time I tried it told me that I wasn’t allowed) I’ll even post a photo of Ryan and I after we get our license. But we’ll see. That would be very ambitious of me at this point. ;-)
So much to do, so little time
May 1st
I feel as though this might be my theme sentence until about June 8th. This list of things that I need to get done keeps running through my head…call someone about finding a pianist, fold the lilies, figure out what you are going to do for bridesmaid gifts, make sure you get thank you notes written and out to people right away, pack up all of your stuff and move across town, pick out readings and songs, call people we want to do readings and let Uncle Pat know about what song we choose, on and on and on….I know we are a bit behind on some of this stuff, which makes the whole concentrating thing even worse. I now understand why it is that planning a wedding was a full-time occupation for women who didn’t work (and still is in some cases). And I don’t understand how people do it that don’t have the support and help from their significant other. Ryan’s taken on projects just at the right time for me – when I’m about to break down from trying to figure out how I’m going to get it all done.
The thing is, I’m not really stressed in the conventional way. I know the day will be perfect because I know that at the end of it I’ll be married to Ryan. And really, that is the part that matters (it’s ok – you can puke now). And the biggest things are already done. I’m not twitchy about stuff, and I’m not having nightmares that things are going wrong. I just am having a really hard time concentrating on anything other than wedding stuff. And I’m to the point that I’m so overwhelmed with things to do that I don’t know where to start, so I don’t do any of them (just an FYI, this is NOT helpful in finishing them).
So, when I say that I can’t wait until the wedding is over, it’s not at all because things are going badly. They are actually going really well. Things are coming together, and I’m really excited. I am just ready to have my concentration skills back – especially at work. But, we are only a month out, and I’m only working until the end of May, so that’s not so bad. There’s a lot of work to get done between now and then (both for the wedding and at my job), and I know I can get it done. I just need to buckle down. And maybe start drinking more caffinated beverages. ;-)
In case you were wondering…
Apr 28th
I upgraded WordPress to the newest version. I’m sure everyone was terribly concerned. We’re good to go now ;)
Pictures!
Apr 24th
I got photos from the shower last weekend uploaded to our site. They can be found here.
As I mentioned in the update, the shower was wonderful. Ryan’s family was very kind and generous to us! And I already got thank you notes sent out to everyone! Maybe this wedding is going to be good for my relationship with the post office.
As you can see in the pictures, I was grinning or making silly faces all day. Apparently I am very frightening when I’m talking. I’m sorry to all of you that know me in real life. ;-) Seriously, though, I’m going to have to work on that whole keeping my eyes open and even before the wedding. I don’t know what the deal is there. Maybe I have one exceptionally strong cheek muscle???
Anyway, it’s almost time to go home. Unfortunately, today is not nearly as beautiful as yesterday was. I was finally able to get out and use my new rollerblades yesterday, which was awesome. Mike and I went the whole Lakewalk and back, and I only fell once (and it had nothing to do with my skating on the trail… Have you ever tried to get in and out of a porta-potty in rollerblades? It’s not easy – let’s just leave it at that.).
Tonight I need to run some errands, possibly start packing (did I mention we are moving…before the wedding??? Bring on the insanity). And then I’m out of town this weekend. Oh, and our landlord asked if we could be out by the 15th…or he told the new people buying the house that it might be a possibility (I don’t really think it is – not for us, and especially not for Sam who won’t have a place until ((hopefully!)) the end of the month). So yah…we’ll see how that all works out.
Gosh I’m rambling a lot. Oh well. Have a great weekend, everyone. And if you have hints on how to fix my eyes, let me know! ;-)
I’ve got the shakes.
Apr 19th
I’m sitting here at Ryan’s parents’ house down by the cities, waiting for him to get ready to head down to his aunt & uncle’s house. Today is my first bridal shower, and I’m super-nervous! I know it will go well – I love Ryan’s family, and my mom and my friend (and personal attendant for the wedding day) Adrienne will be there, so there’s not really anything to be nervous about, other than the fact that this is a party for me. And that means I’ll be the center of attention, at least for a bit. Bring on the uncontrollable shaking! LOL.
On the plus side, I think I look really cute today. And for anyone that knows me, that’s a big thing for me to say. I got my hair cut and styled yesterday, and she did it in a way that would carry over to today. So my hair is cute, and I have a new dress that’s all springy (too bad the weather isn’t agreeing with the whole spring thing). It makes me feel good. Especially since Ryan was obviously a big fan of the look. :) I’ll make sure to post photos online after the party.
I needed a good look today, but not because I’m super-concerned about how I look (although the fact that I’ll want to keep these photos for a long time as wedding memories is in the back of my head). The reason I needed to look good was to make me happy after the stupid SPEEDING TICKET I got this morning. Way to go, Becky. I don’t feel bad for anyone when they get cited for breaking the law, and I don’t make exception to that for myself. It was my own fault. But I am pissed at myself for doing it (and getting caught). So be warned: if you are taking the Taylors Falls exit off of 35N, watch out, because the cops will be waiting to bust you.
On the plus side, the ticket was only for 10 over (he said I was going 65 in a 55 – I honestly don’t know, because I was in the process of slowing down before I even saw the cops). So it won’t show on my drivers record, and it won’t increase my insurance. It would be hard to live that one down, since I work in an insurance agency.
Well, I should get going. Ryan’s friend Trent should be here anytime, and then we will head down to the shower (the guys are going to a Twins game). The day can only get better, so I’m happy about that!
Have a great weekend!
Update: As I knew it would be, the shower was excellent. I love Ryan’s family, and it was nice for my mom and Adrienne to get to meet a bunch of them. Also, I like presents! ;-) Now to work on the thank you notes.
The procrastination has got to stop.
Apr 16th
So I’m kind of a procrastinator. When I was in college and had a big test or paper due, my roommate Alyson would lock me in my room and make surprise visits to make sure I wasn’t chatting online or cleaning (my personal favorite form of procrastination. “Look! I’m being productive!”). I do work well under pressure, and so during school it usually wasn’t a big deal. I don’t think I ever had to actually pull an all-nighter. But a wedding…it’s a little bigger than a paper on the theories of Nietzsche. And so it takes a little bit more in the advanced prep department.
I haven’t been horrible about procrastinating…I mean, the fact that I am VERY VERY happy to be getting married to Ryan is incentive to keep things moving forward for the most part. And the big things are done. We have a church, officiant, reception location, dresses and tuxes, a photographer, and flowers. But there are a lot of little things that are left (like, perhaps, a CAKE??). And that is what I’ve been putting off. It’s not so much that I don’t care about the other stuff. I do. I just got a little overwhelmed with all the phone calls that this is taking (FYI, I really dislike talking to strangers…especially on the phone…especially about things I know nothing about – like wedding cake). And so rather than tackle one small thing at a time, like a normal person would, I’ve kind of let it all go for a couple weeks. I mean, I’ve been looking for ideas and taking mental notes, but I haven’t actually done anything lately.
So I told myself that this week it needed to end. I needed to get my butt in gear. We have just over a month and a half left until the wedding, and there is a lot to do, but it’s not so much that it can’t be done (although if I don’t get a call from the music lady at the church heads are going to roll soon. 3 phone calls – 2 to her home number and 1 to her work number – should be enough for her to give me a call back, don’t you think?). So far this week I have called the church lady again, resent a couple invitations that had the wrong addresses, opened the RSVPs we’ve gotten so far and set them aside to log into the computer, and…um…I don’t know. Cleaned the house? I am planning on testing out an idea I have for escort cards though. Does that count? And I’m getting a haircut before my first shower this weekend! Eek! Oh, and I may have found a foundation to use for the wedding (I don’t normally wear any).
Yah…I’m a slacker, I know. Apparently I need to be locked in my room with no computer access and a stack of wedding projects. :-P
update: Cindy from church called, and we have a meeting on May 11th after the 10:00 Mass. It’s Mother’s Day, I know. But it’s also the first Sunday we will be in town between now and then! Yikes! Now just to find a pianist (or organist).
