Branden talked to his mom yesterday and asked me last night if it would be ok with me if we postponed our Minnesota reception. OK?! YES!!!!!
I've been trying to tell him that the weekend after our wedding wasn't a good idea for the MN reception for a while now. I didn't want to take that much time off work all at once and the thought of trying to juggle all of this was starting to stress me out. I feel like I can take a deep breath and focus on just one thing now.
Our wedding is two months and four days away. I feel like I should be doing more but there's just not a lot that I can do. Branden mailed off the package to UT and it is now in Katie's capable hands. Invitations will be handed out to family this week. :) I'm hoping that's the only package to mail, but it probably won't be.
I need to mail out other invitations and may be handing that work over to our good friend Amy who has asked that I let her stuff and send them- it's hard to say no when someone wants to do the more boring work. :P I've talked to Kazia about the cake,, though I should talk to her again. (Kazia, I guess I need to talk to you so expect to hear from me soon.) There are still some things to buy in the way of clothing but the important stuff is done. I need to order the desserts as well but that needs to wait a month or so. We do still need someone to do the actual marrying... Guess that's the next thing to get done!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Letters From My Mom
My mom has begun sending out letters. Not emails. Actual letters, in envelopes, with stamps. The first two she sent were written to the family and included copies of emails from James. I enjoyed getting those- who doesn't like getting mail that isn't bills or junk?- but this last one was the best of all.
My mom wrote me a letter at the cabin. I mean, she took the time to sit with a pen and paper and write out a letter just for me. It's been a long time since I've received such a letter and I forgot how much they mean. It's so much more than an email or typed letter... It's a piece of her on that paper. It's not incredibly long, it isn't filled with flowery words or prose, it's just a simple letter written in my mother's handwriting and it means the world to me that she took time out of her life to write and send it. I love you, Mom.
My mom wrote me a letter at the cabin. I mean, she took the time to sit with a pen and paper and write out a letter just for me. It's been a long time since I've received such a letter and I forgot how much they mean. It's so much more than an email or typed letter... It's a piece of her on that paper. It's not incredibly long, it isn't filled with flowery words or prose, it's just a simple letter written in my mother's handwriting and it means the world to me that she took time out of her life to write and send it. I love you, Mom.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Mastodon State Park
Branden and I went for a drive today to see what we could discover. We saw a sign for Mastodon State Park and decided we must go there immediately... It was a good plan. As it turns out, there's a dig site something like 15 miles from our house where paleontologists have found bones from mastodons and other pre-historic megafauna. The site is currently covered over but there is a museum and some walking trails that take you to the site.
Here is the skeleton without us... I know that's what you really wanna see anyway. :P
This display explains the differences between mammoths and mastodons. Essentially, mammoths are larger and ate grass while mastodons are smaller and ate leaves and twigs. Also, the mastodon evolved first.
This is just a picture I like that Branden took.
The giant ground sloth was living in what is now Missouri at the same time as the mastodons. They were four feet tall and ten feet long when walking on all fours.
This is me above the dig site. You can't tell here, but I'm half-way up something like 138 stairs. As it turns out, we hiked around and ended up having to climb these stairs twice. That may not seem like a lot to those of you who are skinny, fit women but, not being one of you, I chose to not look up and just put my foot on the next step and the next one. I obviously made it. :)
A view of the walking path. It looks really pretty, and it was, but it was also 100 degrees and 80% humidity.
All in all, a good- maybe slightly sweaty- trip. Just one more thing to add to my list of places to take people who come visit me. :)
Here we are in front of the mastodon skeleton.
Here is the skeleton without us... I know that's what you really wanna see anyway. :P
This display explains the differences between mammoths and mastodons. Essentially, mammoths are larger and ate grass while mastodons are smaller and ate leaves and twigs. Also, the mastodon evolved first.
This is just a picture I like that Branden took.
The giant ground sloth was living in what is now Missouri at the same time as the mastodons. They were four feet tall and ten feet long when walking on all fours.
This is me above the dig site. You can't tell here, but I'm half-way up something like 138 stairs. As it turns out, we hiked around and ended up having to climb these stairs twice. That may not seem like a lot to those of you who are skinny, fit women but, not being one of you, I chose to not look up and just put my foot on the next step and the next one. I obviously made it. :)
A view of the walking path. It looks really pretty, and it was, but it was also 100 degrees and 80% humidity.
All in all, a good- maybe slightly sweaty- trip. Just one more thing to add to my list of places to take people who come visit me. :)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Oh, Hobby Lobby...
Oh, Hobby Lobby, my friendliest of foes.
Among your aisles can be found a treasure trove of items to tempt a woman whose brain has been replaced by wedding bells.
You invite me in from the humid heat of St. Louis with an inviting, air conditioned breeze and immediately set my head spinning with shelves stocked full of autumn themed decor. Your plethora of harvest bowls, platters and pitchers mock me with the impossibility and price of shipping. Your intricate metal and glass tabletop pumpkins outright laugh in my face.
Your 50% off ribbon sales blind me to prices. 50% off is such a good deal! I thwarted you, however, and only spent $20!... On ribbon alone. Unfortunately, you still won since I purchased $20 worth of ribbon but still was unable to find the ONE roll of ribbon I'm hunting for: dark brown, satin ribbon.
But I cannot dislike you entirely because you did provide the adorable pumpkin-shaped pillow that I'll be using as a ring pillow. You and I have begun a love-hate relationship that I see lasting a LONG time.
Among your aisles can be found a treasure trove of items to tempt a woman whose brain has been replaced by wedding bells.
You invite me in from the humid heat of St. Louis with an inviting, air conditioned breeze and immediately set my head spinning with shelves stocked full of autumn themed decor. Your plethora of harvest bowls, platters and pitchers mock me with the impossibility and price of shipping. Your intricate metal and glass tabletop pumpkins outright laugh in my face.
Your 50% off ribbon sales blind me to prices. 50% off is such a good deal! I thwarted you, however, and only spent $20!... On ribbon alone. Unfortunately, you still won since I purchased $20 worth of ribbon but still was unable to find the ONE roll of ribbon I'm hunting for: dark brown, satin ribbon.
But I cannot dislike you entirely because you did provide the adorable pumpkin-shaped pillow that I'll be using as a ring pillow. You and I have begun a love-hate relationship that I see lasting a LONG time.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Notably Positive
It's time for another one!
-This one is mostly positive: I bought gas for $2.39 on Friday. :) I realize that the high gas prices have conditioned me to think that any price under $2.50 is a good gas price but still... I was so excited to buy gas for under $2.40 that I hummed the whole time I was filling up. I thought that I had surely managed to buy gas at the low for once... And then I noticed on Saturday that gas was down to $2.37 at a gas station that was not CostCo meaning that I STILL didn't manage to get gas at the lowest price. Oh, well, such is my luck. :P
-We finished and printed our wedding invitations. We went through so many different designs that the final product isn't at all what we were planning and, unfortunately, we didn't even end up using the picture that I needed Mindy to photoshop... Though we did use some others that she touched up. Due to a long story, Branden's mom is sending out invitations for the MN reception and there is now no mention of it whatsoever on our wedding invites. Although they are not what I originally wanted them to be, we paid a grand total of $30 to get them printed and cut and they will do the job so I'm not going to bother with a lot of complaining. Now to get them in envelopes and sent off!
-The Nasties moved out! After an entire year of listening to them fight, move furniture, build stuff and/or clean in the middle of the night, yell at children and just be awful people in general, they are gone! I will admit that we'll miss the Jerry Springer entertainment factor but I won't miss having my sleep interrupted by their lack of consideration for others. No longer will their (not-apt-approved) dog howl for hours on end when nobody is home, no longer will I hear the children cry but never laugh, no longer will I spend time trying to decide if what is happening below constitutes as abuse or just very loud, ineffective attempts at parenting. I have a hard time believing that the next people to move in could be worse so I'm hoping for the best.
-Last year, Branden's friend invited us to spend July 4th with his family. They were kind enough to invite us back again this year. We had a great time eating food off the grill and lighting off fireworks. I even got to hold a baby and he fell asleep in my arms... I want a sweet baby!
-This one is mostly positive: I bought gas for $2.39 on Friday. :) I realize that the high gas prices have conditioned me to think that any price under $2.50 is a good gas price but still... I was so excited to buy gas for under $2.40 that I hummed the whole time I was filling up. I thought that I had surely managed to buy gas at the low for once... And then I noticed on Saturday that gas was down to $2.37 at a gas station that was not CostCo meaning that I STILL didn't manage to get gas at the lowest price. Oh, well, such is my luck. :P
-We finished and printed our wedding invitations. We went through so many different designs that the final product isn't at all what we were planning and, unfortunately, we didn't even end up using the picture that I needed Mindy to photoshop... Though we did use some others that she touched up. Due to a long story, Branden's mom is sending out invitations for the MN reception and there is now no mention of it whatsoever on our wedding invites. Although they are not what I originally wanted them to be, we paid a grand total of $30 to get them printed and cut and they will do the job so I'm not going to bother with a lot of complaining. Now to get them in envelopes and sent off!
-The Nasties moved out! After an entire year of listening to them fight, move furniture, build stuff and/or clean in the middle of the night, yell at children and just be awful people in general, they are gone! I will admit that we'll miss the Jerry Springer entertainment factor but I won't miss having my sleep interrupted by their lack of consideration for others. No longer will their (not-apt-approved) dog howl for hours on end when nobody is home, no longer will I hear the children cry but never laugh, no longer will I spend time trying to decide if what is happening below constitutes as abuse or just very loud, ineffective attempts at parenting. I have a hard time believing that the next people to move in could be worse so I'm hoping for the best.
-Last year, Branden's friend invited us to spend July 4th with his family. They were kind enough to invite us back again this year. We had a great time eating food off the grill and lighting off fireworks. I even got to hold a baby and he fell asleep in my arms... I want a sweet baby!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Car Saga: The Most Recent Edition
Well, my car broke down yet again last Monday but we have hope that it's the last time for a little while. It's a really long story but the basic gist is that the car wouldn't start on Monday so Branden had to call in to work. I came home an hour early and took him to the parts store. Turns out that he couldn't fix it so we had to tow it to the Meineke... Not my first choice but we really didn't HAVE a choice.
It turns out that that mass air flow sensor had gone out. Branden says that it's a sensor that measures the amount of air coming into the engine and, as we discovered, the car can't drive if it's not working. So another $350 later, the car is fixed once again and is driving better than it has in months.
Branden took it to another shop on Friday to get the inspection done and then the two of us went to get it registered. So now I'm legally driving my car to and from work which is bittersweet: Sweet because I like driving my small car and bitter because it doesn't have a/c and St. Louis has been SUPER hot and humid recently. Let's hope this is the end of my car saga for a little while.
It turns out that that mass air flow sensor had gone out. Branden says that it's a sensor that measures the amount of air coming into the engine and, as we discovered, the car can't drive if it's not working. So another $350 later, the car is fixed once again and is driving better than it has in months.
Branden took it to another shop on Friday to get the inspection done and then the two of us went to get it registered. So now I'm legally driving my car to and from work which is bittersweet: Sweet because I like driving my small car and bitter because it doesn't have a/c and St. Louis has been SUPER hot and humid recently. Let's hope this is the end of my car saga for a little while.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
My First Doctor Visit In A VERY Long Time
I went to the doctor today. No worries, I just went to have my womanly bits checked and discuss the fact that I want babies in the near future. Things are looking good so far. I asked for a prescription for prenatal vitamins and he told me I'm smart for getting ready in advance. :)
I told him about the bruises I've been getting and he told me that we'd get some blood drawn and do a blood count to be sure that my iron and platelets are fine. I'm not really concerned but it's better to be safe... Plus I promised Branden that I'd talk to the doctor. :P
The nurse was going to draw my blood so she looked at both of my arms and said, "Great, you don't have any veins." I assured her that yes, I do, you can see them all over on my thighs... She didn't think I was as funny as I thought I was. She then proceeded to show me what a "normal arm" WITH VEINS looks like. As it turns out, I don't have veins and she poked me at random once then gave up. I guess I have to go back tomorrow or sometime next week before 5 to get poked by the pro-vein-poker. I can already see how this is going to affect the rest of my life. My only consolation will be that I have very pretty arms. :)
I told him about the bruises I've been getting and he told me that we'd get some blood drawn and do a blood count to be sure that my iron and platelets are fine. I'm not really concerned but it's better to be safe... Plus I promised Branden that I'd talk to the doctor. :P
The nurse was going to draw my blood so she looked at both of my arms and said, "Great, you don't have any veins." I assured her that yes, I do, you can see them all over on my thighs... She didn't think I was as funny as I thought I was. She then proceeded to show me what a "normal arm" WITH VEINS looks like. As it turns out, I don't have veins and she poked me at random once then gave up. I guess I have to go back tomorrow or sometime next week before 5 to get poked by the pro-vein-poker. I can already see how this is going to affect the rest of my life. My only consolation will be that I have very pretty arms. :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Our Most Recent Car Saga
For the last four or so months, something has been wrong with my car. It's really hard to describe what is wrong, just that there's this kinda sporadic jerking/jolting feeling, the idle is rough- almost like the car could stall out at any moment- and the exhaust has had a strong gas smell. I told Branden about these things but he really didn't experience them for himself until he started driving my car.
His first guess was that it had something to do with fuel- pump, filter, etc. So we started with the cheapest and fastest fix: fuel injector cleaner. No luck. Replacing the spark plugs helped a little but still didn't fix the problem. Next he replaced the fuel filter and once again things improved a little. The last, and most expensive, repair Branden took on was replacing the fuel pump. This time there was hardly any difference and Branden felt it was time to take it to a pro. His new guess was specifically the catalytic converter.
Before I go any further, I'd like to take the time to point out how nice it is to have Branden around. Not only is he just handy in general, he's not afraid to look in the book or look it up online and see if he can do something he's never done before. Most importantly, he knows when to admit that he's in over his head and he can't do it himself. I really do appreciate all that he's done to keep this car running until we can afford another one. I also have to admit that I maybe rely on him a little more than I should at times BECAUSE I know he's such a capable guy. Sometimes this makes him lose patience with me because I want him to do things I can do myself... This is not one of those things/times, though. I am so grateful to have him in my life.
Monday night after Branden got off work we dropped the car and a key at the Meineke near our apt. so they could look at it first thing Tuesday morning. Yesterday we woke up to Branden's phone ringing and the news that, yes, it was indeed the catalytic converter AND the flex pipe that ran from the engine to the converter. They wanted $390 to fix it... So much for saving more money for the wedding. :S We did some calling around- including calling a different Meineke who quoted $50 less!- and chose the muffler shop who left Branden with the best feeling. (We don't trust the Meineke near our house for anything more than an oil change since they tried to convince me that my less-than-one-year-old radiator had gone bad and needed to be replaced. In fact, we wouldn't have taken the car there AT ALL given a better choice.)
We got dressed and ready for work, drove the car over to the shop and car pooled to work- something that can only happen on the one night a week that I close the bakery. When the car was finished, they left Branden a voice mail and he was able to call in his debit card number. Conveniently- and adding much to our trust of this shop- they charged us EXACTLY what they quoted and didn't try to up-sell. After we were both off work, we picked up the car and Branden drove it home... And he says something is still wrong. Things have improved DRAMATICALLY but something's still not quite right. *sighs* Back to the drawing board.
The car is 20 years old and I haven't driven it yet but maybe the thing that isn't right is just old car syndrome??? You know the one: things shake and rattle because they're old and not because anything's really broken. One can always hope.
His first guess was that it had something to do with fuel- pump, filter, etc. So we started with the cheapest and fastest fix: fuel injector cleaner. No luck. Replacing the spark plugs helped a little but still didn't fix the problem. Next he replaced the fuel filter and once again things improved a little. The last, and most expensive, repair Branden took on was replacing the fuel pump. This time there was hardly any difference and Branden felt it was time to take it to a pro. His new guess was specifically the catalytic converter.
Before I go any further, I'd like to take the time to point out how nice it is to have Branden around. Not only is he just handy in general, he's not afraid to look in the book or look it up online and see if he can do something he's never done before. Most importantly, he knows when to admit that he's in over his head and he can't do it himself. I really do appreciate all that he's done to keep this car running until we can afford another one. I also have to admit that I maybe rely on him a little more than I should at times BECAUSE I know he's such a capable guy. Sometimes this makes him lose patience with me because I want him to do things I can do myself... This is not one of those things/times, though. I am so grateful to have him in my life.
Monday night after Branden got off work we dropped the car and a key at the Meineke near our apt. so they could look at it first thing Tuesday morning. Yesterday we woke up to Branden's phone ringing and the news that, yes, it was indeed the catalytic converter AND the flex pipe that ran from the engine to the converter. They wanted $390 to fix it... So much for saving more money for the wedding. :S We did some calling around- including calling a different Meineke who quoted $50 less!- and chose the muffler shop who left Branden with the best feeling. (We don't trust the Meineke near our house for anything more than an oil change since they tried to convince me that my less-than-one-year-old radiator had gone bad and needed to be replaced. In fact, we wouldn't have taken the car there AT ALL given a better choice.)
We got dressed and ready for work, drove the car over to the shop and car pooled to work- something that can only happen on the one night a week that I close the bakery. When the car was finished, they left Branden a voice mail and he was able to call in his debit card number. Conveniently- and adding much to our trust of this shop- they charged us EXACTLY what they quoted and didn't try to up-sell. After we were both off work, we picked up the car and Branden drove it home... And he says something is still wrong. Things have improved DRAMATICALLY but something's still not quite right. *sighs* Back to the drawing board.
The car is 20 years old and I haven't driven it yet but maybe the thing that isn't right is just old car syndrome??? You know the one: things shake and rattle because they're old and not because anything's really broken. One can always hope.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Notably Positive
There are lots of good things that happen in my life but they are often small things that aren't much of a blog on their own. Because of this, I seem to skip writing them. This shouldn't be so! I should be trying to write all the good things so I can remember them! In a effort to remedy this problem, I have decided to start a Notably Positive segment. Each one will be a collection of good things that have happened recently. With no further ado, my first Notably Positive blog:
-JC Penney has come through for us again! We went to Men's Wearhouse to get Branden measured for his suit... Then went to JC Penney, bought a sale suit using a coupon and paid a grand total of $117. :) It's a black pinstripe and he looks quite dashing in it. Now we need the shirt- I still can't decide if it should be cream or colored- tie and shoes.
-While on the shopping trip to buy the suit, we stopped by Lane Bryant for me. I purchased new work pants and finally spent the gift card my parents gave me for Christmas. My new pants are one size SMALLER than my last pair of work pants! I was feeling that my weight loss was stagnating but buying smaller pants has made me feel a little better. :)
-Earlier this week I reconnected with an old friend on Facebook. We knew each other in college and have lost touch for a few years. It was so exciting to find her and even more exciting to find out that she's married to an awesome guy.
-Yesterday at work a twenty-something guy told me that I smelled really good. Admittedly, I was decorating and had just drizzled fudge down the sides of a bunch of cakes so I no doubt smelled like chocolate... But it still made me feel good and giggly.
-Mindy, being the amazing woman that she is, touched up some of our invitation pictures and added the proper wording to one of the signs. The invitations are almost done now and we should be able to print them and start getting them mailed off sometime in the next week or two. Thanks so much for your help, Mindy! You saved us another trip to the photo booth!
-Our wedding cake plans have been finalized and Kazia, another amazing woman I am privileged to know, has agreed to the design. :) I'm not sure what to say about it because I do want a FEW parts of our plans to be a surprise to some- obviously Kazia knows and Katie knows as well because I can't keep ANYTHING from her. :) I'll just say that it's a fairly simple design and very much our style.
-JC Penney has come through for us again! We went to Men's Wearhouse to get Branden measured for his suit... Then went to JC Penney, bought a sale suit using a coupon and paid a grand total of $117. :) It's a black pinstripe and he looks quite dashing in it. Now we need the shirt- I still can't decide if it should be cream or colored- tie and shoes.
-While on the shopping trip to buy the suit, we stopped by Lane Bryant for me. I purchased new work pants and finally spent the gift card my parents gave me for Christmas. My new pants are one size SMALLER than my last pair of work pants! I was feeling that my weight loss was stagnating but buying smaller pants has made me feel a little better. :)
-Earlier this week I reconnected with an old friend on Facebook. We knew each other in college and have lost touch for a few years. It was so exciting to find her and even more exciting to find out that she's married to an awesome guy.
-Yesterday at work a twenty-something guy told me that I smelled really good. Admittedly, I was decorating and had just drizzled fudge down the sides of a bunch of cakes so I no doubt smelled like chocolate... But it still made me feel good and giggly.
-Mindy, being the amazing woman that she is, touched up some of our invitation pictures and added the proper wording to one of the signs. The invitations are almost done now and we should be able to print them and start getting them mailed off sometime in the next week or two. Thanks so much for your help, Mindy! You saved us another trip to the photo booth!
-Our wedding cake plans have been finalized and Kazia, another amazing woman I am privileged to know, has agreed to the design. :) I'm not sure what to say about it because I do want a FEW parts of our plans to be a surprise to some- obviously Kazia knows and Katie knows as well because I can't keep ANYTHING from her. :) I'll just say that it's a fairly simple design and very much our style.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Wedding Nightmares
I began having wedding nightmares a couple of weeks ago. In the first nightmare, it was the day of the wedding and I didn't have anything but my dress. No shoes, no underthings, no suit for Branden, no cake, no... Well, if it wasn't the wedding dress then I didn't have it. I spent much of my dream scrambling around trying to get things done before my ceremony... And I didn't have a ceremony site, either!
My most recent nightmare has left a bit of a mental scar. I dreamed that it was a few days until my wedding and my hair was falling out. There was a very large bald spot on the back of my head but nobody told me. When I discovered it, I had a huge breakdown. The worst part was, even though it was a dream, I could feel the bald spot! I woke up and immediately checked the back of my head. I had this dream a few days ago, but I still feel the need to periodically reach up and feel the back of my head to be sure I'm not missing hair.
I've had a few other nightmares, but these two have left the biggest impact. Most of my nightmares are pretty far from reality. We've actually finalized quite a bit recently so, while we're still not completely ready, I don't really need to worry about the first dream coming true. As far as the last dream goes, it make sense that I would dream about my hair as I've been debating getting it colored and possibly trimmed before the wedding. I'm less concerned about coloring it right now as Stacy can always dye it. I'm more concerned about getting a trim- which I DESPERATELY need- and ending up with my hair 5 or 6 inches shorter than it is right now... Hence the hair stress. So far, I haven't had a dream about getting left at the altar or anything like that so at least I can say that's obviously not one of my worries. :)
Please tell me that one or two of you had wedding nightmares, as well.
My most recent nightmare has left a bit of a mental scar. I dreamed that it was a few days until my wedding and my hair was falling out. There was a very large bald spot on the back of my head but nobody told me. When I discovered it, I had a huge breakdown. The worst part was, even though it was a dream, I could feel the bald spot! I woke up and immediately checked the back of my head. I had this dream a few days ago, but I still feel the need to periodically reach up and feel the back of my head to be sure I'm not missing hair.
I've had a few other nightmares, but these two have left the biggest impact. Most of my nightmares are pretty far from reality. We've actually finalized quite a bit recently so, while we're still not completely ready, I don't really need to worry about the first dream coming true. As far as the last dream goes, it make sense that I would dream about my hair as I've been debating getting it colored and possibly trimmed before the wedding. I'm less concerned about coloring it right now as Stacy can always dye it. I'm more concerned about getting a trim- which I DESPERATELY need- and ending up with my hair 5 or 6 inches shorter than it is right now... Hence the hair stress. So far, I haven't had a dream about getting left at the altar or anything like that so at least I can say that's obviously not one of my worries. :)
Please tell me that one or two of you had wedding nightmares, as well.
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