More Pictures!!

I just got more wedding pictures from one of my good friends...I'm so excited, I thought I would share a few with you all! Pictures of the cake finally too! (I'm sorry if I'm overdoing it with the wedding posts...I just love pictures and I love these pictures because they are of my wedding...) :)

Flowers

As I recently posted the details about my wedding, I thought I would continue along the same vain and show you some more detailed pictures of the flowers that I felt really helped to make everything look perfect...since my previous post focused mostly on pictures of me and my handsome hubby and not pictures of the details ! :) (These are not the best pictures, and I apologize, I took them the day after the wedding and tried my best, but it was hard as I was rushed!)

This was my bridal bouquet

Flower balls that were found at every aisle, and then after the ceremony moved to different parts of the reception tent

Centerpieces

Bridesmaid's Bouquets

Our arch...it was moved from the ceremony location to the tent to serve as a decoration behind the head table once the reception started. The arch was hand made, and I wish I could have taken it inside and kept it forever...

Different butterflies that could be found included on the arch...and believe it or not, during the ceremony, there were several live butterflies on the arch and other flower decorations...a sure sign my dad was truly with me on my wedding day. :)

September 20, 2008

Let me preface this post by saying that I had the hardest time writing it! I had no idea what to include, or what not to include, and how many pictures to put in...but as much as I tried to keep it short, it just seemed rather impossible. So, I apologize now for the length of the post. You can skim if you want! :)
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There are many stories I could tell you about my wedding day. But for the purpose of this post, I want to focus only on the positive and beautiful day that was, and the fact that B and I committed ourselves to each other. I'll be sure to share all the other details at a later date... :)

I arrived at our house at 4:30, after a busy morning getting my nails and hair done. I had woken up at 7:00am with a feeling of nervous excitement...that was the only nervousness I felt the entire day. I just couldn't be nervous. I was marrying my best friend and the person I loved... It was a beautiful day. Not a bit of wind, and only slightly cloudy. By the time the ceremony started, it was in the lower 70s and the night stayed relatively warm.

B and I had made the decision not to see each other before the ceremony, and because of this, he stayed at the house and got ready, while I had spent the previous night at a hotel with K. This allowed me to spend the day with K and my sister...and for all the decorations to be a surprise when I arrived at the house.

I barely saw anything when we pulled in to the house because I was so busy hiding in the car and trying to get into the house without B seeing me. The plan was for me to get dressed, take some photos, and then the ceremony would begin at 5:30. There was some confusion at this point on my behalf. I thought I was supposed to be waiting for the photographer to take pictures of me getting ready...and I think she thought she was waiting for me to be entirely dressed. I spent quite a bit of time waiting for my other bridesmaids to arrive, and running around the house trying to make sure things were taken care of. Some of my beloved friends came in the house to see if I needed anything and I was so happy to see them. Before I knew it, it was 5:00 and I still wasn't dressed! I finally started getting ready. Time was flying. I got dressed and we took a few pictures, but not nearly as many as I had thought we would take...I was told not to worry though, because we would take more later.

Our friend Ken, was acting as our wedding "planner" for the day, and he was making us stay on track. When he came in to tell us that we had 1 minute left to take pictures, my heart jumped. I couldn't believe that I was getting married! Suddenly, I heard the music start for the wedding party...and they opened the front door...and there was B! Haha. I shrieked a little and hid...and luckily, he didn't see me. It was at this time that my mom and B's mom were escorted down the aisle. B picked all the music for the ceremony, and the wedding party walked down to Mannheim Steamroller's "Cavatina." It was a four minute song...and I started to worry that not everyone was going to get down quick enough. The flower dog and the ring bearer had to wait until the mothers lit the unity candle, and it seemed as if it took forever... But eventually, off they went. As my first bridesmaid stood waiting for her chance to walk down the aisle, I felt tears come to my eyes. I was overwhelmed at the fact that it was finally here...and I was about to be married to the person I cared the most about in the world.

I suddenly found myself left alone in the foyer to our house. It was at this time I thought of my dad, and wished he was there. I wondered what he would have said to me before we walked down the aisle. I wondered what he would have thought of B and of the beautiful place where we were getting married. I really wished I had him there to walk with me. I had made the decision to walk by myself because I couldn't imagine anyone else walking me down but my dad...but it didn't make it any easier for me.

I was lucky that our ringbearer's mom came back and told me she was going to help me out the door...my train probably would have gotten stuck somewhere without her help. :) Ken was suddenly telling me to go. I realized though, that the wedding party's song was still playing and was like no...I don't think I'm supposed to be going. It was a confusing moment...but I didn't go. :) The beginning of the version of the wedding march B chose for me (Aaron Meyer's "Here Comes the Bride...you should search for this, it is beautiful) had soft drums playing...and I wanted to wait until they were over before I stepped out. So I kept the guests waiting for a minute or so. I stepped out of the house, and I lost all sense...I remember our friend telling me to go slow. I wanted to stand there for a second, but when he told me to go slow...I just got plain confused! I had to go down steps, and this made my dress get out of whack in the front...and then I was trying to walk slow (although I think I ended up going fast) and I felt myself trip some on my dress. :) Ha. This is where having someone to walk with would have made my walk so much easier... You can actually see in the picture that it did get stuck under...I imagine that is the way it looked all the way down the aisle (I haven't seen all the pictures yet). I don't remember much else from my walk down the aisle...but thinking watch your step! And of course, seeing B. When I finally got to the actual "aisle," I could see him. He looked so handsome in his tux. And he was smiling at me. I didn't take my eyes off of him.

I made it to the end of the aisle and stood there with our pastor. And then the ceremony began. B and I faced each other and took each other's hands. I couldn't stop looking in his eyes. We went through the gathering words and the opening prayer...although the pastor did forget to ask who gave me away...my mom had wanted this part to be included, despite the fact that my dad was not there. After the declaration of consent, my friend N read a poem called "Love," by Roy Croft.

Love

I love you
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you

For the part of me
That you bring out;

I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can't help
Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple.

Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good.
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.

You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.

After N's beautiful reading of the poem, we had a scripture reading, and then exchanged our vows. B and I wrote our own...we said a lot of the same things...and mine were of course, a bit longer then his. He was rushed to finish his, and I'm a writer, so of course mine were longer. :) I thought I would cry, but I didn't. We both love to laugh, and of course, our vows included some things that made us laugh...one of the reasons that we love to be with each other so much is our ability to make each other laugh...so I am glad that we were able to have fun with our vows, but also make them somewhat serious as well.

We then exchanged our rings. I had a very hard time getting B's ring on. I think his finger grew from the time we bought our rings 2 months before! :) I pushed and pushed, and he then had to help me. And poor guy, by the end of the evening, could barely get his ring off because it was so tight, his finger got swollen! Anyway, it did cause a bit of a laugh. :) Then we had the blessing of the rings.

We then lit the Unity Candle, and during this time, Josh Groban's "To Where You Are," was played in memory of my dad. This was the first bit of time that B and I got to actually take a breath. He told me I almost made him cry when I came down the aisle...and I told him he looked snazzy in his tux. It was nice to have this time to breathe and just be with and enjoy each other during the ceremony.

When the song was over, we received the Ministerial Blessing, the Benediction and more blessings, and finally, B was told he was allowed to kiss the bride. :)

We were then announced and walked back down the aisle to 98 Degrees' "True to Your Heart."

After everyone made it back down the aisle, we went back to the rows to greet everyone. It was wonderful seeing friends that I hadn't seen in years, and those that were there from the very beginning. We took some pictures (don't have any of those yet) and finally were ready to enter the reception area. I hadn't seen the completed reception tent, and it really was just beautiful when I saw it. It was lit only with the white lights and lanterns. We were introduced and then the eating began. The food was great. I couldn't really eat much though, as I felt like my undergarments had been put on a little too tightly! :) I'll let the pictures do much of the rest of the talking for what took place at the reception...I don't have a picture of the cake yet (although I did smear some cake on my lovely husbands face)! Our toasts were great and we danced some and the reception was definitely a lot of fun.

Entering the Reception

My best Friends and I

Our First Dance to "When God Made You He Must Have Been Thinking About Me"

A Picture with all my former staff members...also known as my family

By the time the reception ended (around 10:00), B and I still had to feed all our animals and finally get to bed. Responsibilities don't go away, not even on your wedding day! Probably my favorite part of the evening though, was when we first went back into the house after everyone left, to get ready to feed the animals...when B said "Hi Mrs. B." It made me smile. And made me realize that we were finally joined as one.

Details to come...

It is getting closer.

In less then 48 hours I will be married. Wow. I feel like time is absolutely flying in my life anymore. I really can't wait to see everything come together. We have finished everything we wanted to get finished and all I have left to do is finish writing my vows.

People keep commenting on the fact that I don't seem nervous at all. I'm not nervous. I know I am getting married to my best friend and the best person for me. I have no reason to be nervous I guess. I asked B today if I was supposed to be freaking out. I've never actually been in a wedding or had a really good friend get married, so I suppose I've never been close enough to see if a person does freak out or not. The thing is, I don't want to stress about getting things done anymore, or the day being absolutely perfect...I know some things probably won't go as planned (like our little pup probably dragging the ring bearer down the aisle), but that is the kind of stuff that will make the day memorable. I can't freak out about getting married...I love B and he loves me.

Tomorrow everything starts arriving. Our house will be full with people getting stuff ready and the smell of good food for the rehearsal. I'm excited. All I have to do tomorrow is turn in some paperwork for the job, give the pup a bath, and get my nails done. The rest of the day will be spent enjoying the company of my best friends and my family.

I can't wait to see everything come together.

A New Look!

So, you'll notice that I've changed the blog around a bit. I've been meaning to try to be a bit more original, but really, I am procrastinating and attempting to distract myself from all the rain that is coming our way. Rain means no time to work outside, and, if it happens on September 20th, a very wet wedding that will have to be totally redone.

I'm trying not to think about it. But it's hard not to let it creep in my mind.

5 Things

My life the past few days has consisted of:

1) More weeding of the garden. However, the seeds are coming off all the weeds and floating up my nose and going in my eyes, so my allergies have decided to become the bane of my existence. We still have more gardens left to do then I want to admit. And 10 days left to do it (although, technically 9, since B is going out on Wednesday, leaving me by myself, and I can't get as much done without him...)

2) Job Interview. I alluded to this in the previous post. I actually applied to a childcare center about a month ago for a part-time position. They finally called me in and I was like, ok. I then realized I had no idea what I was in for. B says, "maybe they are just screening you to make sure you aren't crazy." Actually, they are interviewing me for a "teaching" position for toddlers and want to know my teaching philosophy and want curriculum I would develop for toddlers. UM? I don't know, I've never studied anything that has to do with toddlers, I thought I was just working at a day care where we were taking care of children...not applying to be a preschool teacher! A few quotes to tell you how it went:

-"I'm sorry if I am itching a lot, we've been spending a lot of time in the garden and I've been bit a lot" (before the interview started...I didn't want them to think I was nervous itching!)

-"My curriculum would consist of teaching them about colors, animals, sounds, we would color and I would read a lot of books because I feel children learn well from books."

-"I babysat for 4 years." (In response to a question about my experience with youngsters).

-"Um, I guess I didn't see anything about pay?" (My first question. Smart, smart...glad they think I'm all about the money. Thanks B, for making me so nervous about asking about it, it was the first thing that pops out of my mouth...)

Needless to say, there was probably a lot more then that, but those are the ones that stick out. I am normally a killer interviewer, if I can say that, but I was so unsure of what I was interviewing for here that I had no idea how to prepare. I don't think it went BAD, but I definately could have done better. I had my friend laughing so hard at what I told her because I was the one that gave her interview advice a few years ago that she still uses. Ah well. I don't know if I would take the job anyway. And I highly doubt I would be offered the job considering I have no experience with toddlers. All my experience is with college students (who act like toddlers). But it was a good learning experience. If I get it, I get it, if I don't, I don't. I'll just finish filling out my subbing application and finally get that started.

3) I started teaching my class today. It never ceases to amaze me that college students are so different now then they were when I was in school (I started 8 years ago). I feel like they don't want to learn/want easy A's, and no matter how hard you try to make a class interesting and fun for them, they look at you like you are a nutter. I'm trying not to judge my students too early, as I know it was the first day and they were nervous and unsure what to expect. But one actually said, "I was excited to take this class and wanted to take it until I found out the text cost $88." (Sorry bud, welcome to college and overpriced books).

4) I've been putting boxes together for our favors and have bought all the materials to get our programs together. My goal is to have programs together by the end of the week, so all I have to do is think about favors next week. Because next week I get married. (I'm still in shock at that one).

5) I had my bachelorette party. It was fun, and even more so because my best friend Trish flew out to see me when I haven't seen her in several years. We didn't go wild and crazy (in part, because I'm not that type). But I did get dressed up and we laughed a lot and just had fun. I love girl's nights and am glad B is the type to let me keep having them even after we are married!

oewjrakn

That's how I feel! I know I've been slow on the updates (well, at least updates that contain pertinent information), but things are starting to hit crunch time around here! It is two weeks to the wedding (tomorrow) and we are in the midst of getting favors together, putting programs together, and getting the house in order (which means gardening...and I know I posted about gardening earlier...but imagine those pictures by about 10 because that is how many gardens we have to get weeded and trimmed...and mowing). Not to mention I had a job interview today, my bachelorette party is tomorrow (!!!), I start teaching my class on Monday and I've been trying to clean up the house because my friend is staying tomorrow. And on top of that, we are still trying to spend as much time with Cynder as possible, and we have all our typical day-to-day chores taking care of the animals...

Funny how all of a sudden everything hits at once...but I have a feeling it is going to be non-stop until the wedding and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed!