On Sunday Josh and I met with Mom and Sister Jen to stuff our invitations. We stamped and addressed 56 envelopes. Mom wrote, Jen stamped, Josh sealed, I stuffed.
I've been so freaked out about the guest list...going over capacity, people feeling like second class citizens during dinner, parents being angered at our limited child list, etc. and as we stuffed and sealed, a sense of calm washed over me. It was done. The decisions had been made.
And also by sending out our invites, we're affording other people the opportunity to get excited about the wedding, too!
Yesterday, we released our little bundles of excitement into the wilds of the US Postal system.
God help us all.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
H: "I didn't think I could be any more in love" - a true story.
Chapter One: August 5th, 2010
So, Tuesday morning I got up as per usual and went about my morning routine: get up, get dressed, wash face, brush teeth, and feed the Dondi-kins before feeding myself. I went to lift the lid to her kibble container and just happened to notice that the measuring scoop was missing at the exact same time I felt a searing, horrifying, debilitating pain in my lower back which promptly led to me falling over into an awkward reverse-crab type position. So of course I start screaming and begging God for the sweet kiss of death when Josh runs over to me, groggy and half nekkid. I mumble a non-committal "I think I threw my back out" then ask him to help me up, which incidentally turned out to be a HUGE mistake. He held me while I passed out and (I'm told) gently lowered me to the floor. He then spent the rest of the morning with me on the kitchen floor, giving me Ibuprofen and trying to find a chiropractor that could get me in, like, five minutes ago. Later on, he tried to help me stand and when I couldn't, he put me on a blanket and dragged me over to the bathroom, then helped me pee, then got me dressed and stayed with me on the bathroom floor.
Our 14-week-old kitten Alice decided that it was awesome that Mom was on the floor, because this meant she now had a spring board to get up onto the counter! Trust me, it was hilarious when she jumped full on to my face with gazelle-like grace and would have continued to be hilarious if by doing so she hadn't sent my body into a spasm. At that point, Josh held me and begged me to let him take me to the ER but alas, no health insurance so I was forced to rather delicately decline.
Eventually we got an appointment with the chiropractor for 1:30 and at about 12:45 Josh used our make shift wagon to drag me to the door. He then picked me up and CARRIED me to the car and I've got to say, I'm not fat, but I am not light. He actually got down on the floor and lifted me up. His strength was amazing and I was so scared the entire time that he would strain something himself, but he was determined.
As an aside regarding chiropractic medicine, I was carried in to that office crying and a bit of a skeptic and hobbled out vertical so they're definitely doing something right. And in case you're wondering, bulging disk. The doctor is going to be spending the next week helping my body put everything back in place.
Anyhoo, over the past few days Josh has been taking care of me; making sure I do my exercises, rubbing salve on my back, helping me in the bathroom and the shower, getting my pills, making my food, carrying my lumbar support everywhere, helping me get up and down and in and out of things, and even getting up in the middle of the night to let our cat in and out so he doesn't wake me up. I'm getting progressively better (this morning I dressed myself!) but I shudder to think what it would have been like if he wasn't there.
I call him my Angel and there's definitely reasons for that. The really cool thing is that I'm fair sure that I'm going to keep finding new ones for the rest of our lives.
Chapter Two: August 12th, 2010
I coughed in the shower the other day and put myself back to day 1 of my healing, which sucked. I'm talking hard core spasms and sobbing while yipping like an injured chihuahua (later this gracefully subsided to begging the doctor to shoot me up with whatever will kill the pain). And what does he do? He once again carries me in from the car and then stays up ALL NIGHT watching over me in case I need anything. He also held a large bowl under me to pee in since I couldn't get up, and cleaned up my...um... mess when I missed. He cried because he hated to see me in pain. He's been encouraging me and holding me and looking after me in so many ways. There are no words.
So, Tuesday morning I got up as per usual and went about my morning routine: get up, get dressed, wash face, brush teeth, and feed the Dondi-kins before feeding myself. I went to lift the lid to her kibble container and just happened to notice that the measuring scoop was missing at the exact same time I felt a searing, horrifying, debilitating pain in my lower back which promptly led to me falling over into an awkward reverse-crab type position. So of course I start screaming and begging God for the sweet kiss of death when Josh runs over to me, groggy and half nekkid. I mumble a non-committal "I think I threw my back out" then ask him to help me up, which incidentally turned out to be a HUGE mistake. He held me while I passed out and (I'm told) gently lowered me to the floor. He then spent the rest of the morning with me on the kitchen floor, giving me Ibuprofen and trying to find a chiropractor that could get me in, like, five minutes ago. Later on, he tried to help me stand and when I couldn't, he put me on a blanket and dragged me over to the bathroom, then helped me pee, then got me dressed and stayed with me on the bathroom floor.
Our 14-week-old kitten Alice decided that it was awesome that Mom was on the floor, because this meant she now had a spring board to get up onto the counter! Trust me, it was hilarious when she jumped full on to my face with gazelle-like grace and would have continued to be hilarious if by doing so she hadn't sent my body into a spasm. At that point, Josh held me and begged me to let him take me to the ER but alas, no health insurance so I was forced to rather delicately decline.
Eventually we got an appointment with the chiropractor for 1:30 and at about 12:45 Josh used our make shift wagon to drag me to the door. He then picked me up and CARRIED me to the car and I've got to say, I'm not fat, but I am not light. He actually got down on the floor and lifted me up. His strength was amazing and I was so scared the entire time that he would strain something himself, but he was determined.
As an aside regarding chiropractic medicine, I was carried in to that office crying and a bit of a skeptic and hobbled out vertical so they're definitely doing something right. And in case you're wondering, bulging disk. The doctor is going to be spending the next week helping my body put everything back in place.
Anyhoo, over the past few days Josh has been taking care of me; making sure I do my exercises, rubbing salve on my back, helping me in the bathroom and the shower, getting my pills, making my food, carrying my lumbar support everywhere, helping me get up and down and in and out of things, and even getting up in the middle of the night to let our cat in and out so he doesn't wake me up. I'm getting progressively better (this morning I dressed myself!) but I shudder to think what it would have been like if he wasn't there.
I call him my Angel and there's definitely reasons for that. The really cool thing is that I'm fair sure that I'm going to keep finding new ones for the rest of our lives.
Chapter Two: August 12th, 2010
I coughed in the shower the other day and put myself back to day 1 of my healing, which sucked. I'm talking hard core spasms and sobbing while yipping like an injured chihuahua (later this gracefully subsided to begging the doctor to shoot me up with whatever will kill the pain). And what does he do? He once again carries me in from the car and then stays up ALL NIGHT watching over me in case I need anything. He also held a large bowl under me to pee in since I couldn't get up, and cleaned up my...um... mess when I missed. He cried because he hated to see me in pain. He's been encouraging me and holding me and looking after me in so many ways. There are no words.
So right now I'm on pain killers and muscle relaxants and he's been carrying around my gear, reminding me to take my meds, cleaning the house, he's been doing everything.
I looked at him today and thought, I didn't think I could love him more, but I keep on doing it. He keeps on giving me reasons to.
Friday, August 6, 2010
H: ....I have no excuse.
Seriously. No excuse. And no excuses, either. Well, at least no good ones. I guess I haven't felt much like writing. If you're reading this now, it must be because you're wonderful/wonderfully dedicated.
Well, lots has happened and I've got lots to make up for.....I shall start at the beginning:
July 10th.
My Bridal Shower
My Bridal Shower was amazing. Tracy and the gals threw an incredible shindig full of laughing, thoughtful moments, and funny hats. I walked in not knowing what to expect, and walked out touched by not only the thoughtfulness of my friends and family, but also their generosity of spirit. And their generosity of pocketbook! They gifted us some amazing things and we are so grateful.
My incredible friends/bridal party:
Mom, Dana, Missa, Tracy, (me), Jen, Robin, and Jeff
Well, lots has happened and I've got lots to make up for.....I shall start at the beginning:
July 10th.
My Bridal Shower
My Bridal Shower was amazing. Tracy and the gals threw an incredible shindig full of laughing, thoughtful moments, and funny hats. I walked in not knowing what to expect, and walked out touched by not only the thoughtfulness of my friends and family, but also their generosity of spirit. And their generosity of pocketbook! They gifted us some amazing things and we are so grateful.
My incredible friends/bridal party:Mom, Dana, Missa, Tracy, (me), Jen, Robin, and Jeff
I wish I could say more...how the food was incredible, Tracy's sangria knocked everyone's socks off, or how they gave me one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received (a recipe book with recipes from my friends and family), but I can't. It was so much fun, I had such a great time, and I couldn't believe how quickly four o'clock came.
July 17th.
Dress shopping with the ladies
This was fun. It was somewhat reminiscent of my days going on trips with the band (yes, I was a band/drama geek. Snicker all you want! I had fun. Well I did!) and being together in a bus, singing songs and reveling in the camaraderie. But of course there was something of a problem with this scenario in that we didn't have a bus. With seven ladies going dress shopping (Me, Mom, Jen, Missa, Tracy, Robin, and Dana) and with a desire to keep us together, I opted to look into renting a car big enough to take everybody. Imagine my shock when Mom told me that we could rent a limo for not much more. Ummm....hmm okay let's see here....limo in which we can legally drink and don't have to drive.....or Ford Excursion where... you know, I didn't follow this line of thought much further. We went with the limo, and we kept it a secret. I wouldn't have given up the comments I heard for anything. Went something like this:
Jen: Heeeeeeeeeey, someone has a limo. Wouldn't it be awesome if it was for us?
Me: Yeah. Yeah, that would be pretty awesome.
Robin: Wait....is that limo for us?
All: Is that ours? Are we going shopping in a limo?
Hehehe. Swish. This was a special day, and I wanted to make sure my gals were comfortable.
I had the idea of having mismatched bridesmaid dresses, and I kept this with me going shopping. I had a couple ideas about the dresses: 1) The lady wearing it had to love it. 2) It was highly recommended that she be mindful of the weather. 3) It should be something in the Navy blue palette.
We started at Nordstrom rack and a bottle of champagne. No luck with Nordstrom rack, lots of luck with the champagne.
Next was Nordstrom proper, but no luck there either. Again, plenty of luck with the champagne.
Last but not least, Alfred Angelo. By this point we were out of champagne and were a bit discouraged. Dress after dress after dress and nada. Nothing. No luck.
It was ok. I had figured that we probably wouldn't find everyone's dress in one go. But that didn't stop the ladies from feeling frustrated and uncertain.
And then.....something very special happened.
My sister walked out of the dressing room wearing a look of blissful relief and what would be her dress.
Next it was Jen, then Tracy decided, then Dana, and then Robin emerged. All had managed to find a dress that fit her personality and style. And since they were coming from the same place, they could all be ordered in the same color. Woo hoo!
And there's something more....there was a brief concern that the differing fabrics and styles would clash and be an issue, but actually they're all tied together! One has a halter and is chiffon, another is strapless but made of taffeta, another is taffeta and a halter, etc. Essentially, these ladies accomplished EXACTLY what I wanted; sisters not twins, and five happy lovelies.
July 17th.
Dress shopping with the ladies
This was fun. It was somewhat reminiscent of my days going on trips with the band (yes, I was a band/drama geek. Snicker all you want! I had fun. Well I did!) and being together in a bus, singing songs and reveling in the camaraderie. But of course there was something of a problem with this scenario in that we didn't have a bus. With seven ladies going dress shopping (Me, Mom, Jen, Missa, Tracy, Robin, and Dana) and with a desire to keep us together, I opted to look into renting a car big enough to take everybody. Imagine my shock when Mom told me that we could rent a limo for not much more. Ummm....hmm okay let's see here....limo in which we can legally drink and don't have to drive.....or Ford Excursion where... you know, I didn't follow this line of thought much further. We went with the limo, and we kept it a secret. I wouldn't have given up the comments I heard for anything. Went something like this:
Jen: Heeeeeeeeeey, someone has a limo. Wouldn't it be awesome if it was for us?
Me: Yeah. Yeah, that would be pretty awesome.
Robin: Wait....is that limo for us?
All: Is that ours? Are we going shopping in a limo?
Hehehe. Swish. This was a special day, and I wanted to make sure my gals were comfortable.
I had the idea of having mismatched bridesmaid dresses, and I kept this with me going shopping. I had a couple ideas about the dresses: 1) The lady wearing it had to love it. 2) It was highly recommended that she be mindful of the weather. 3) It should be something in the Navy blue palette.
We started at Nordstrom rack and a bottle of champagne. No luck with Nordstrom rack, lots of luck with the champagne.
Next was Nordstrom proper, but no luck there either. Again, plenty of luck with the champagne.
Last but not least, Alfred Angelo. By this point we were out of champagne and were a bit discouraged. Dress after dress after dress and nada. Nothing. No luck.
It was ok. I had figured that we probably wouldn't find everyone's dress in one go. But that didn't stop the ladies from feeling frustrated and uncertain.
And then.....something very special happened.
My sister walked out of the dressing room wearing a look of blissful relief and what would be her dress.
Next it was Jen, then Tracy decided, then Dana, and then Robin emerged. All had managed to find a dress that fit her personality and style. And since they were coming from the same place, they could all be ordered in the same color. Woo hoo!
And there's something more....there was a brief concern that the differing fabrics and styles would clash and be an issue, but actually they're all tied together! One has a halter and is chiffon, another is strapless but made of taffeta, another is taffeta and a halter, etc. Essentially, these ladies accomplished EXACTLY what I wanted; sisters not twins, and five happy lovelies.
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