Arrivederci. For Now.

May 8, 2008 in wedding | 5 comments

Tomorrow I leave for my honeymoon and I have more knots in my stomach than I ever did for the wedding. 

I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really get too excited until I actually arrive at my destination.  THEN, finally, I am on vacation.  Unless it’s a rambling road trip - that’s different.  Otherwise, there’s always flight delays and other issues that can crop up.  Not pessimistic, just very cautiously optimistic. 

Neither E or I have been to Italy before, and new experiences are always cause for me to overthink (worry) about everything.

I’m pretty sure, though, that it will be so beyond wonderful that I will not want it to end.  Wish me luck.

You’re Not Catholic, Are You?

May 7, 2008 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Funniest part of the wedding: The looks on E’s dad’s and stepmom’s faces when they see me, standing behind the priest, making the throat-cutting motion to let them know not to take pictures during Communion - as they had their cameras up and ready to snap away.

The Pre-Wedding Weekend.

May 6, 2008 in wedding | No comments

The pre-wedding weekend was an idea we dreamed up to give us a chance to party with family and friends before the wedding. Because the wedding was so small, we weren’t going to be able to invite everyone and we weren’t having a traditional party-reception.

 

Friday morning I woke up, got dressed and ran errands. E had to work. He was done by noon, so we had some lunch together then he took a nap. We left the house around 3:30 or so headed to Macatraz* for our pre-wedding weekend. It rained ALL the way there. The weather forecasts were for rain all weekend. We had dinner in the city and watched the wind whipping and the waves crashing on the water. E’s dad/wife found us, so we ended up hanging out with them for a while. The rain let up enough that we made a break for the car and checked into the hotel.

 

Saturday dawned partly sunny and the rain wasn’t supposed to come until that evening. So we headed to Macatraz with high hopes. We arrived to a fairly warm wind. We left our luggage at the hotel until we could check in and took off on our bikes. We ran into some people we knew and stopped to chat a few times. Finally, we set off for a real bike ride around the island. It was a beautiful day…windy and sunny, some clouds, but nice. We went back to the place where we got engaged. We wrapped it up after over an hour of biking. We met some people for lunch. After that, E met up with some friends to go to the bar, and some girls and I went to the spa for treatments. I got an hour-long massage that was wonderful and just what I needed.

We all got ready to go out and met for dinner at a restaurant. Seating worked out perfectly - especially considering we hadn’t really planned anything or made reservations. Dinner was loud and fun, and the restaurant even had a guy doing card tricks so that was fun. After dinner, we headed to a bar up the street and grabbed a bunch of tables there. There was live entertainment - just two guys with a guitar and drums. We had a lot of drinks and by the end of the night, just a few of us were left. We had a lot of fun dancing and laughing at other people dancing. We left and made it back to the hotel around 1:45am. My brother and a couple other friends decided to hit the hotel bar for another drink, but I was done. E was done too since he passed out as soon as we got to the room.

Sunday was another beautiful sunny day. E was still sleeping, so I got up and got ready and ran into my friend in the hotel lobby. She and her husband were going for a walk, and she said my family was in the hotel restaurant. So I hung out with them for a bit, then walked them to the ferry. I wandered down to Starbucks for a big fat coffee. Then I headed back to the room to see how E was doing. Not too well. But he sucked it up and showered and got ready. We checked out, then had lunch with a group of friends. We decided to head out after that.

The weekend was so awesome! The weather cooperated perfectly. Everyone had a great time. And everything worked out more perfectly than we could ever have planned. Thinking about it afterwards, I can not imagine having to had to party like that AFTER a whole day of wedding, pictures, dinner, and all the stress that goes along with it. It was casual and fun and I didn’t have to worry about a dress or anything. And it was so nice to have the day of the wedding devoted to just the wedding and our close family and friends.

*If you live in Michigan, you probably know what I’m talking about.

 

 

The Wedding.

May 6, 2008 in wedding | 7 comments

I woke up early-ish and went for a walk. Walked to the bagel place to get our favorite bagels and cream cheese. Picked up some other things to try out our new espresso machine and walked home. I woke up E with the promise of coffee and breakfast. Then we cleaned up a little and I logged into my work email to see if anything was going on. Not much, thankfully. E and I went for another walk. We set up a game plan for the day. We went to lunch, and E dropped me off at home so I could start getting ready, and he went to wash the car. My mom came over and she and I went to the church so E could finish getting ready at home by himself. We arrived at the church just as the guy was delivering flowers. They were a bit of a disappointment, but oh well. Other people started arriving, so I went to the room to get dressed.

My dad came back and we walked to the doors to wait for our cue. I could hear the music. Finally it was our turn, so we started out. I was looking at everyone there and totally not looking at E. Don’t ask me why. I wish I had been. When we finally got to the front and I looked at him his little chin was quivering so bad. It was so sweet! We stood in front of the altar while the opening song was sung. Father had some comments and then we went to sit for the readings. My dad’s fiancée and E’s mom did a great job with the readings. Then, after the sermon, it was show time. We said our vows and exchanged rings. Neither one of us cried and we did a great job!

E and I participated in the ceremony by bringing up the gifts and helping to minister communion. That was nice, and I think a nice surprise for the family. We hadn’t told anyone we were doing that. After communion, we were called up for a final blessing, and as Father said, “it’s time for the big ol’ smooch”. We walked out after that and it was over. It did happen pretty fast. I think our participation in the mass really helped us be in the moment instead of just spectators.

We greeted everyone and went back inside for pictures. That went smoothly and quickly. Then it was off to dinner. Dinner was great! I think everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves and the food. There was a few instances of clinking the glass for E and I to kiss. It was fun until my nephew decided it was a good idea and had a hard time not clinking. No one stayed too long so we were home by 8:30 or so. We opened some sparkling wine and opened presents. Everyone was beyond generous and we received some lovely gifts.

I fell asleep on the couch and went to bed without washing my face or anything. I woke up around midnight and THEN got up to wash my face and brush my teeth, and went back to bed. And today is like any other day except I am married. E left for work, but my group told me they didn’t want to see me today. So I’m going to get started on thank you cards and go pick up some things for our trip.

Four More Days.

May 1, 2008 in wedding | 5 comments

Today is my last day of work before I get married.