The Wedding

Chris and I got married on October 20!! Most of you already knew that and many of you were probably there!! Thanks for coming if you came!!

If you weren't there, it was a wonderful day. We had been having rainy weather in Lexington during the week before the wedding, but the day of it cleared out and was clear and nice, not too hot, not too cold.

The ceremony was beautiful and Fr. Frank's homily was wonderful. It definitely makes a difference when you know the priest and he knows you. I think it is funny that the afternoon of the night Chris proposed he and I had had lunch with Fr. Frank. Then a year later he married us! Anyway, everything was lovely and it was such a joy to stand in front of everyone we love and profess our committment and love to each other for the rest of our lives.

Following the ceremony the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour at the reception site where we had a bluegrass band playing. We were taking pictures during that time, so we missed it, but I've seen some pictures and it looks like everyone was enjoying themselves. The reception itself started after that. The food was great, the company was great, and the music was great. Everything was so much fun. If you're a baseball fan you may know that that night was also game 6 of the Red Sox/Indians series for a trip to the World Series. Two of my aunts showed up late during the partying with Red Sox t-shirts on over their dresses and we had some fun on the dance floor with some favorite Boston songs (not the group, but songs Boston-related). One of the best parts was going around and visiting with everyone. My first chance to really see who was at the wedding was when we went visiting all the tables to say hello to our guests. That was great fun!!

That's all for now. I'll post more about the events of that weekend very soon. Eventually I'll also put up a link or two to some pictures. Check back here again soon!!

We're back!!

We're back from the honeymoon!! We had a great time; it was fun and relaxing.

The wedding was wonderful; everything went well and it was so much fun to see so many family and friends together!!

I still have lots of emails to respond to and thank you notes to write. Plus we're still moving things from my old house to Chris' house and trying to find a place for it all. This is all to say that I may be on a bit more of a break from the blog while I accomplish all of that.

I go back to work tomorrow and will start trying to catch up there as well. Now I have to remember to drive to the right part of town when I leave work tomorrow evening!!

I'll be in touch with everyone soon!!

Four Days!!

Only four days left until the wedding. Things are starting to get wrapped up and plans finalized. I'm happy to report that I have turned most everything over to my wedding coordinator and the contact person at the hotel and I can now just sit back and wait for things to happen.

Today is my last full day in the office. Tomorrow I'm coming in for a half day, but will be spending it in the main library's administration office reading contract renewal files. After that I'm gone for a while!! Yay!!

At the moment, Saturday is shaping up to be a beautiful day. High of 72, low of 53, mostly sunny, and only a 20% chance of rain. A little warm for this time of year, but it'll be beautiful!!

So far I've also thought of four games that guests at this wedding will be interested in scores for during the day. At least one of those might not happen, but if it does, I know a lot of people who are going to want to know the score. So far I have: Vandy vs. USC at 12:30, Florida vs. UK at 3:30, and UT vs. Alabama at 4:30. Then there is the Red Sox and the Indians. If that game happens, it'll be game 6 of the series and could be a very important one. I don't keep up with baseball so I actually have no idea how that series is currently going.

I think that covers everything for now! Wow, four days!! I can't believe it!!

Wow--One Week

Only one week left!!!

We met with the wedding coordinator today and squared away a lot of things with her. I also saw my photographer briefly and got my bridal portrait--it looks awesome!!

I have a meeting Tuesday at the Marriott to meet the banquet captain and after that there really isn't much to do.

My family gets to town on Thursday and extended family starts coming in that day and Friday. It's so exciting!

Everything we do these days is "the last time as single people"!! It's been fun!

What does the bride do during the bachelor party?

Answer: Shopping, football, and pizza and ice cream!!

Shopping: I went to the mall this morning and bought a new outfit for the rehearsal dinner, plus a few other things. I had several Macy's coupons, plus a lot of there stuff was on sale. I had a good time! Then I went to Hamburg and bought some shoes to go with my new stuff. It was a productive day!!

Football: #12 LSU vs. #12 S. Carolina!! South Carolina scored the first touchdown!! Unfortunately LSU did most of the scoring after that. We finally got a field goal and then in the fourth quarter we manged to get a second touchdown, but they tried for the two point conversion and didn't make it. Oh well!

Pizza and ice cream!! That's my dinner for tonight, or rather it was. Although I am eating the ice cream now. Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, right out of the container!! It's so great!! And who knows when I may ever do this again. So I'm enjoying myself!! :)

Hope you all are having a good night. I'll find out how the bachelor party went tomorrow. I hope the guys are having fun.

One Month To Go!!!!

Woohoo!! 'Nough said!!

My Dress and the Dry Run

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! We did here. My mother came up last Thursday and brought my wedding dress. Friday we had a dry run of the wedding day morning.

The dress is so beautiful!! It was so great to put it on with the right shoes, the jewelry, and the veil. Okay, my excitement is making me get a little ahead of the story here.

Friday I had my bridal portrait done. We went to the hair salon and had my hair and make-up done like it'll be done at the wedding. We got there at 9 and left around 10:30. I'm hoping it won't take that long the day of the wedding; another good reason for doing a dry run. We got to the Marriott at 11 and the photographer was all set up and waiting for us. It was so cool to put my dress on and the shoes and the jewelry that I'll be wearing. I think the pictures came out really well, but I'll know more when I can see actual prints. I have a meeting with the photographer on Friday. We took most of the pics inside the Mansion (the free-standing restaurant at the hotel) but we did take a few outside. it was a gorgeous day, just a little windy. It was fun to take pictures and feel a little like a model. My mother had fun too and it was fun to have her there. She got to play photographer's assistant for a little while.

The rest of the weekend was fun too. We went to a diocesan young adult mass and potluck on Friday night. The Bishop presided and had a wonderful homily, as he usually does. Saturday Mom and I took a drive and ended up checking out some model homes for fun. That night Chris made dinner and made a birthday cake for my mom (see previous post). Sunday mom and I went to Bardstown for a bridal shower. That was a lot of fun!! My future sister-in-law did such a wonderful job setting everything up for an afternoon tea and the company was great. I met a few more friends of the family and I think everyone had a good time. The afternoon was so much fun!!

That was the whole weekend. I'm so excited to have my dress here; it certainly makes the wedding seem so much closer now!! I can't wait to see the pictures on Friday. I have a feeling I'm going to find a nice one and maybe even one or two that I can have put in the wedding album later. But I should wait until I actually see the pictures before making plans. I can't wait for Chris to see the portrait at the wedding; hopefully it'll be a great gift for him!!

Hope everyone else had great weekends!! Have a wonderful week!

Two Months!!

I'm getting married in 2 MONTHS!! Oh wow!! That's just amazing!!

It's hard to believe that we've been together 18 months now and engaged for 10!! In some ways it seems we've been together a lot longer than that. And in two more months we'll be husband and wife!! Wow!

Lasts: Harry Potter and Singlehood

I finished reading the last Harry Potter book on Sunday. It was a great book. Only problem was that I forgot some of the details from book 6. I think when I have time again (maybe after the wedding) I'll have to sit down and read all 7 books in a row.

So Harry is now done and I'm starting to see a lot of things finishing up. Plus I read something the other day about "lasts" and it got me thinking about my many lasts coming up. Read on for the further explanation and bare with me as I ramble a bit:

Several seminarians from our diocese just started a tour of the diocese this week. They are visiting a variety of churches, visiting with the priest, and meeting the parishioners on a tour they are calling "Rock the Collar." One of the seminarians is starting seminary this fall, he's a member of my parish, and I discovered that he has a blog. I read through his blog and found it interesting to read about his many "lasts" as he prepares to leave for seminary. He spoke about the thrill of his vocation and also the sadness of leaving everything he's always known. I can totally relate!

Okay, so yes I finished Harry Potter. Now we know the end of the story. But of course, that's fiction. In the real world, I'm starting to de-clutter my house, get rid of things I don't need, and start packing things to take to Chris' house. I have a student who is interested in taking my stereo, a co-worker wants my DVD player, I have managed to set aside a lot of books to get rid of one way or another, and a former student stopped by to say hi today and she might be interested in my kitchen table and chairs.

What are my "lasts?" Well, I've had my last Christmas as a single person, this was my last summer as a single person, and I'm sure there are many others. I'm packing up my house to move into his house, which will be our house, but it still seems like "his house." It's weird to think of my name as being different. I never thought I would change my name, but I made the decision several months ago that I would, so now I'm realizing just how many things have to change: credit cards, Social security card, all my health and retirement benefits, drivers licence, passport, bank accounts, stocks, the house paperwork, and who knows what else. Its almost too much to comprehend. But at the same time, it's exciting and amazing. We're so excited about the many "firsts" we'll be having together as husband and wife.

There are certainly lots of lasts coming up, but there will be many, many firsts. We have less than 10 weeks left now! It's getting very exciting as my last lasts finish up and our first firsts begin.

Wedding Update

Great news!! The dresses have all arrived!!!

The bridal store called while I was in Columbus. The bridesmaids dresses are here and my dress is here. My mother and sister went to the store on Tuesday and picked up the bridesmaids dresses. Mine is staying there for when I do the alterations, plus they will store it there and press it and clean it between the Bridal Portrait and the actual wedding. But they did see it and take pictures which they sent me. Sorry, won't be posting those here.

The dress is beautiful though! I am so excited. We had one modification done (there was a part of the dress in olive green color which we had the designer change to Ivory) and I was so happy to see it all in the same color. My sister said that several people at the store were looking forward to seeing my dress too because they had never seen it all in the ivory. Everyone thought it was beautiful. The pictures, I'm sure, don't do it justice. I can't wait to see it in person when I go down at the end of June.

My sister also tried on her bridesmaid dress and sent me pictures of her in it. It looks great on her and I love the color!! I can't wait to see how beautiful all my bridesmaids look together!!

Currently I'm working on the photo list for the day. Thankfully I have my sister's list from her wedding and it is wonderfully detailed!! So I'm using it as a basis to make sure I get everything set up well and I don't miss any picture moments. Thank goodness she got married before me, her organization of all her wedding stuff has been a tremendous help! Thanks sis!!!

Actually, overall everything has been going pretty smoothly and I haven't been under too much stress at all. Thank goodness, I don't know that I'd be able to handle it if it was overly stressful in addition to everything else I have to do.

I'm so glad the dresses are all here!! That's one thing somewhat off the list. Next will be alterations. I can't wait to see my dress and try it on again!! Just one month and I'll be down there!!

Wedding, Dancing, Derby, and More

It's been a while since I posted anything, though I've thought about posting several times this past week.

Wedding update: We now have the invitations and all that goes with them (RSVP cards, Thank you cards, personalized napkins, etc.), we have the cake serving-ware (engraved with our names and wedding date), out matching toasting glasses (also engraved), and the guest book and cake topper. I love the cake topper! It's glass and it's a dancing bride and groom. Very elegant, which goes along with the elegance I've been going for throughout the whole wedding.

We also have chosen all the readings for the Mass and the various prayers. I'm planning on rewriting one of the Prayers of the Faithful to include the names of all our grandparents who have passed away (both my sets and both Chris' grandfathers). And we have asked people to be readers: Chris' sister is doing a reading, my Godfather is doing one, and a friend of ours is doing the Prayers of the Faithful. There are other wedding ceremony things to work out still. I want to write a prayer myself for us to pray together when we present flowers at the Marian alter. Father Frank thought this was a great idea. He has been so excited about everything, its been great!

Dancing: Still working at that. We've been practicing some and we are going to start trying to go to more group classes. We're having some problems with Swing. I asked our instructor how you do a three beat swing step to four-beat swing music. She knows I'm also a musician, so she knows there are some things I'm having a hard time putting together. So she explained how you would only hit a downbeat every twelfth beat. It still feels unnatural. Anyone know swing?? Any advise?

Injured: I had a little accident last Sunday with a sharp knife. Cut my finger pretty badly and cut into the nail, about a 1/4 inch. Luckily it wasn't so deep that I needed to see anyone about it. We finally got the bleeding to stop and get a bandaid on it. But because of the nail, I've been continuing to wear a bandaid. I'm afraid it'll get caught on something and rip off. But I can still play my instrument. Thank goodness, I have a concert this Sunday (tomorrow). That was my first thought when I felt the knife hit my skin. Ugh!! It was NOT pretty.

Yes!! I have a concert tomorrow. We are doing a concert called "Bohemian Rhapsody." We're playing Fucik, Dvorak, Sibelius, Smetana (the Moldau from My Vlast!!), and a flute concertino by Chaminade (which is French, not really Bohemian or eastern European, but a great piece nonetheless). We're also doing this in the Lexington Opera House, which is always fun to play in.

Today was Derby Day. In Kentucky this is an all day affair. We went to a party at a friend's house. It was a lot of fun. We've known a lot of the people there for a long time and it's amazing how much things have changed since we all started hanging out. We started at as mostly singles, now many of us are married (or in our case getting married) and there are lots of kids around. There were 9 kids there under 4 years old and three babies on the way. Anyway, we hung out there for most of the afternoon, watching the Derby pre-game stuff (which starts at noon). And did you know that there are other horse races before the Derby starts? I know that now, but I didn't know that before moving to KY. The big race was around 6:15 or so, then we stayed longer talking with everyone.

We also have a fun way of "betting" at this party. They have four bowls each labeled: Win (green), Place (Yellow), Show (Blue), and Last (Red). The names of each horse were on a piece of paper folded up in the bowl (the paper was color coordinated so later you would know which bowl you pulled it from). To pull a horse you had to put some money in: $3 for win, $2 for place, $1 each for show and last place. If the horse you pulled came in that place then you win the money ffrom that bowl. One person there picked the correct horse for both Place and Last and she won $60!! It's fun and you don't have to know anything about horses to play, which I like.

Oh and one friend there asked me a cute question: How do you know you're at a Catholic Party? The Answer? Lots of beer and lots of kids!! We were definitely at a Catholic Party today!! :)

And in case you're wondering, I didn't win anything ... but I have in past years. Maybe next year. Oh and neither did Chris. So I guess we both lost $7 today.

I think that's the whole update for now. Tomorrow is church and a concert and then back to work (and two weeks off from rehearsals!!). Hope everyone has had a great weekend!!

Wedding, weather, and much more

There is so much going on these days, I can barely keep up myself. The snow finally started going away today, but that's because it rained all day. However, we're expecting a wintery mix and below freezing temps. So lots of icy roads tomorrow, especially black ice! I think Cincinnati had about 6 inches of snow. I'd rather the snow than the ice. Hopefully it'll get warm enough in the morning to become slush. But that may be wishful thinking.

My veil is in!! The bridal shop called me yesterday to let me know. In other news: we have an appointment with a florist on Saturday. She came highly recommended and I expect to really like her. Also, we met with a cake baker/designer today and she raved about this florist too. The cake person was also highly recommended to us. We spoke to her for a while and she gave us three pieces of cake to take home and try. Chris ate all three of his pieces, I could only eat two (I'm saving the third for tomorrow). They were very good and we discussed what cake flavors and fillings we like. Chris is going to sign a contract with her and make the deposit. So we're on our way to getting all the big things taken care of!! Oh, and we're having our engagement pictures taken this coming Sunday!

There is so much more going on right now. We are in the process of making some changes to the Young Adult group at church and we are in the midst of helping to organize a mass at the Cathedral for young adults. We have help from other young adults from three other parishes, but Chris and I are the ones who know the Cathedral best, so we'll be doing most of the on site work and answering questions from everyone else. Plus, there is the NFP class and the homework we have to do for that. This time we have 6 weeks between classes, but we both have to do the reading.

Okay, so I'm watching the news now. Wow, I had no idea there was a blizzard happening just north of me! And we are now below freezing and they are calling for possible snow now, plus snow this weekend.

Time to say goodnight! Hope everyone has been having a good week! God Bless!!

Wedding Progress

We have a priest for the wedding ... again. I finally caught up with Father Frank this week and his calendar was open for the day of the wedding. Yeah!! I'm so relieved to know that we have a priest for the wedding and a priest that we know and like. I'm excited to have him perform our wedding. We both are!

Marriage Prep

Chris and I had our Marriage Preparation class this weekend. It was a little dull and there were a lot of corny worksheets to fill out and discuss together. Although they recognize that the average age of couples is now between 22 and 35 instead of the former 18-24, the class has apparently not been updated to take that into account.

There were about 14 couples in the class, many of whom are getting married in the next several months. I think Chris and I had the furthest out wedding.

It was an interesting class, but mostly just practical stuff and mostly all stuff we've already talked about. The spiritual part of marriage is done in more depth in the next class we have to take, which we're not taking until June 2.

That pretty much took up our whole weekend. This week is starting off on a good foot. I've already gotten a lot of stuff done today, so I am hoping that means it'll be a very productive week.

Tonight we're off to another session of Theology on Tap; the topic is the Papacy.

P.S. How do you like the new look to the blog? How about the cool wedding tracker at the top! Thanks, Shawna!

Bridal Shows

Chris and I went to a Bridal Show in Lexington on Sunday afternoon. He sampled 3-4 cakes, a pasta dish from a caterer in downtown, and we both tried a few hor d'ouerves items from several caterers, especially the chocolate fountain.

We also picked up a ton of stuff: catalogs, business cards, forms, advertisements, etc. We went through them all last night and eliminated things we weren't interested in, made some decisions, and filed away the things we want to look at again.

We did make an appointment to meet with someone about invitations (and other stationary needs) and we scheduled a free dance lesson!

On Friday we met with a photographer that we really liked. He had a great price, a package that had everything in it we wanted, and we had a good time talking to them. After talking with and reading through the information from the various photographers at the Bridal Show we decided that the person we met on Friday would be our best deal and would be fun to work with. So we are signing a contract with him tomorrow. Another thing off the list!!

The two other big things I want to look at now are cakes and flowers. Those are the things that we need to have vendors lined up for on the actual day, so we need to book them soon. So much to think about!!

Hope everyone had great weekends!!

We have a date

Chris and I have a date. We will be married on October 20, 2007 at 2pm. Yeah!!

We are also putting together a webpage for the wedding with info for our guests about hotels, the area, travel to Lexington, etc. We'll let people know once we have something we want to share.

The ceremony will be at our church, the Cathedral of Christ the King. The wedding will be a full Catholic Mass.

The reception will be at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington off of Newtown Pike and very close to I-75. The reception location is beautiful!!

Big news from Lexington

I have some big news to share. But first, I apologize to anyone who did not get a phone call from me first. I never realized how many people I knew until just the last couple of weeks.

Big news: Chris and I are now engaged!! He asked me on October 20 to marry him and I said YES! Of course, I had to get over the initial shock of the question, since he asked it as part of a conversation and it was late and I was starting to think about having to get home and so on and so forth. So the moment certainly surprised me! I like surprises, though, so he did a great job.

We don't have a date set yet, but we are hoping for October 2007. We are meeting with the priest at our church tomorrow (Tuesday) and then with some possible reception places on Thursday. I hope to have a firm date by the end of the week. And yes, we're getting married in Lexington; this is our home and it's where we met, where we go to church, where many of our friends are, and where we'll start our lives together. A lot of people assume we'll get married in Atlanta, but it's been way too long since I lived there for any extended period.

We are both very excited. We are also both a little unsure of how to proceed. I've organized events before, but nothing like this and I feel like I'm just feeling my way through the dark at the moment. But once we really get into it, we'll probably start having fun.

Stay tuned for more details, I'm sure I'll have plenty to share over the next 11 months!