23 Days and Counting

Wow, I have been gone a very long time. I don't know that anyone will even read this, but I've wanted to write for quite a while...so here I am! There's a ton of stuff about which to fill you in, but I'll try to keep it simple for now. The biggest thing going on? I'm getting married in 23 days!

Yes, yes, yes, Jersey and I did get married in September. That was our legal ceremony in Massachusetts and it was very important and special to us. Having said that, we call that our "legal & unofficial" wedding. On April 24, she and I are having the big hoopla, full of family and friends, pretty gown, fresh flower, open bar "non-legal & official" wedding. We have lots of family and friends coming in from hundreds or thousands of miles away. The past several weeks have been full of hectic planning, but I am trying to enjoy every second of it. Here are some highlights:

- I go to pick up my wedding gown tomorrow. Just a few short months ago, I did not fit into the dress at all. Not even close. About a month after that, the zipper was still a few inches short of it's destination. Another month later and I actually fit into it perfectly. Yes, it took a lot of eating right and working out, but I got into the dress! It's currently having a bustle added to it, and I'm excited to get it back (if for no other reason than the fact that it's become a nice weight loss measuring tool).

- Jersey and I decided to pay to have our hair and makeup done by a professional. It took a while to come to that conclusion, because neither one of us is the type to spend that much effort on our physical appearance and we don't want to look like clowns on our wedding day. Still, we figured that it would be nice to be pampered that afternoon. I did lots of research and read reviews and finally booked a stylist. Fortunately, I also scheduled a trial run, so that we could make sure the stylist understood what we want. Two (yes, two) no-call/no-show appointments later, I fired the stylist and had a minor panic attack about what we would do on semi-short notice. Lucky us...a coworker of mine used to be a professional stylist and she jumped at the chance to help us out.

- We planned to celebrate our honeymoon in Lake Tahoe, CA. Basically, we were just going to rent a small condo within walking distance of the shoreline, so that we could relax and have a very peaceful week to ourselves. There weren't any big plans involved...just hanging out on a blanket by the water. Sounds nice, right? Well, it was perfect until Jersey and I saw a commercial for an Eagles concert here in Las Vegas. Jersey is a HUGE Eagles fan and she has always wanted to see them perform live. The teeny tiny problem was that the concert is the same night as our wedding. So, I quickly put together honeymoon plan B. The Eagles are in concert in Seattle on May 13, the Angels are playing the Seattle Mariners on May 9, and we were already planning to visit Seattle later this year. It's nice when the universe helps out.

- My sister did a kick-ass engagement photo shoot for us and we are putting a couple of those pictures in a signable frame to use in lieu of a wedding guest book. As her gift to us, she also going to frame some of our favorites so that we can put them around the house. Jersey and I are pretty awful at printing and displaying pictures, so we are excited to have some great ones to hang up.

- It will be great to have so much of my family together at such a happy time. My aunt (my mom's sister) passed away in November and many of us gathered in Texas for her funeral. Obviously, that was a tough time for everyone involved and it was especially hard for me to see my grandparents mourn the loss of their daughter. After that, I wasn't sure if many of them would be able to make it to my wedding. My family is in Texas, Illinois, California, and Canada, and after all of the time and money they had spent during my aunt's illness, I just didn't think that a Vegas weekend would be feasible. Apparently, they decided otherwise...my grandparents, two uncles (including the one who just lost his wife), and at least three cousins will be attending the wedding.

Okay, I've babbled enough for now. I know that I'll have plenty to say as we wrap up the details and I continue to stress. Plus, there's all sorts of other fun to talk about. My work is crazy busy, Jersey and I are hoping to start a family soon...life rocks!