Ten Things Tuesday - Wedding Music Edition

Yes, I've completely slacked on my duty to update you all on the wedding festivities. Yes, I have a lot to share. Yes, I'm still delaying a real post about the hoopla. Instead, here is a list of ten songs featured on our wedding day...and a few random pics.

1. "Canon in D" (Pachelbel) - This was the song played as our immediate family was seated prior to the ceremony. It also showed that, really, this was a pretty "traditional" wedding.

2. "Power of Two" (Indigo Girls) - We chose this as the song to be played as our bridal party (our sisters were our maids of honor and our best friends were our bridesmaids) walked down the aisle. It also showed that, really, this was a marriage of two chicks.

3. "Songbird" (Eva Cassidy) - I had known for years that I would walk down the aisle to this song (specifically the Eva Cassidy cover, despite the fact that there's nothing really wrong with the Fleetwood Mac original). Jersey was still trying to find a good song, so I just went about my business and played "Songbird" while she was deciding. When I looked up, she had happy tears running down her face and the most loving look in her eyes. I asked if she wanted to share my walking-down-the-aisle song, and she said yes.


4. "I Gotta Feeling" (Black Eyed Peas) - We really liked the idea of having all sorts of lovey-dovey songs playing as our guests arrived. Plus, we had the above-mentioned songs for the ceremony. So, when it was time to pick a recessional, we knew we wanted to change the tone and start the party. Alas, this was the perfect transition.

5. "I Kissed a Girl" (Katy Perry) - Immediately after the ceremony, our guests went inside for hors d'oeuvres and we stayed outside for pictures; this was our introduction song when we entered the reception. Originally, we were going to give out cherry Chapstick favors, but didn't think many people would get the reference.


6. "Feels Like Home" (Chantal Kreviazuk) - This was our first dance as wife and wife. :) We did a very simple "hug and sway" type of dance...then our bridal party and parents joined in and it was a very cute moment.

7. "Tangled Up Puppet" (Harry Chapin) - This is a song that Jersey's dad played for her all the time when she was little, so it was the perfect sentimental choice for the father-daughter dance. I stood off to the side to let them have their moment, but when he realized that I wasn't dancing with anyone, he let her go and pulled me in for the second half of the song.


8. "Single Ladies" (Beyonce) - Okay, this is totally the obvious choice for bouquet toss songs, but I like it. It's just catchy (pun intended) and fun.

9. "She's a Beauty" (The Tubes) - This is a guilty pleasure song of mine; it would be my theme song if I had one. You can't take all the lyrics literally, but parts of it are quite the ego boost. Anyway, I wanted to work this into the reception, so it was the garter retrieval/toss song.

10. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (Pat Benetar) - Cake.smashed.into.face.

Time Flies

Well, I had every intention (road to hell, blah blah) of writing much more before my wedding. That's totally not happening. My life has been a whirlwind lately...a good whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless. Work has been incredibly busy and we've been wrapping up wedding details, plus family is arriving. I made it through last week without an anxiety attack, which was pretty impressive. Now, I am living it up this week and enjoying every minute up to, and including, Saturday's wedding.

I'll be posting pictures and filling you all in on more details after things calm back down.

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!

What to Wear?

Next April, Jersey and I are having a large wedding/reception in Las Vegas in which we will declare our commitment while surrounded by family and friends. Many (many) people have asked which one of us will wear a dress and which will wear pants, as though there is a one-person limit on that sort of thing. The answer is that, in April, both of us will wear beautiful white wedding gowns. While both of us have a distinct tomboy side, we look forward to being princesses on that day.

Then, we started planning the details of our legal ceremony, to be held in MA in September. Since it's going to be such a small (albeit important) ceremony, we figured we'd go get a couple of white sundresses and some sandals; outfits that would be simple, yet cute. So, last weekend we went shopping...

Side note: The stores at the mall, plus the other random chain stores we hit, were insanely crowded! Even more so than during the holiday season. I get that it was back-to-school shopping, but WOW! It seems like the number of people who celebrate holidays is larger than the number of people going back to school, plus the economy is supposed to suck right now, so I did not expect those crowds.

Jersey and I battled the crowds and searched everywhere for great dresses. There were a few that we sort of liked, but we didn't really want to get married in anything that we sort of liked. I was getting frustrated and said, jokingly, that I wished we could just get some comfy matching white sweats and be done. Then I thought. And thought some more. Finally, I said, "I'm not kidding. We should just get something cute and comfy and screw the whole dress thing."

The result:
I can not put into words how completely excited Jersey and I are about finding these outfits. It may seem silly to other people, but they are so perfectly "us" and we're already doing the fancy thing in April, so we don't feel like we're totally disregarding formality. I'm giggling even as I write this post! Ahhh, we are so happy to be getting married and this is like the goofy icing on the cake! Yay!

Life

I've been gone from here for a very long time. I'd apologize, but I'm not entirely sure I'm really sorry about it. I mean, I'm sorry that I haven't been able to connect with the few of you who read me, but I'm not sorry that I've been really busy with life. Let's see if I can catch you up on the highlights...

Work - So, there I was, struggling to keep my job. A job a really don't even like that much. I was thinking about starting a Masters program at night and looking for other employment. Then, the owner of the company for which I work decided to let go of her executive assistant, and she needed someone she trusted to jump in and help while she interviewed for a new EA. I offered, she accepted, and I found myself with a "part-time" and "temporary" second job. What I thought would be a chance to just make a few extra dollars turned into about 35 hours a week for over two months. You see, the owner goes through a very slooooow interview process, so it took her quite a while to find someone.

Once the new EA had arrived, I was busy training her and working on a couple of projects that were already in progress. I figured I'd be around another week or two to wrap things up, but nope. Out of nowhere, the owner's administrative manager/coordinator decided to just bail on the job. Suddenly, the owner desperately needed help filling that position, so I moved over to that desk. It's now been about three weeks and she is really no closer to hiring a new employee. As for me, I'm up to almost 40 hours a week, plus a pay raise when I moved into the second position. So, what's the craziest part about all of this? I'm still doing my regular job...though I now do it in the morning, at lunch, at night, and on weekends. I'm pretty exhausted and a little stressed, but all my extra effort may pay for the wedding. To pay the wedding off without dipping into my normal income would be incredible! Speaking of which...

The Wedding - Jersey and I spent a long weekend in June in New Jersey (with a quick trip to NYC for dinner & drinks) to celebrate our East Coast engagement party/bridal shower. It was a ton of fun to meet even more of her family and friends, plus the extra time I spent with those closest to her. I love that everyone has welcomed me with open arms and I'm glad to be a part of their lives, even in small ways.

We came back to Vegas in time for my sister and T. (my mom's significant other) to arrive in town; my sister stayed for almost three weeks, T. moved here. We all had a great time and spent one night on the West Coast engagement party, which was mostly my co-workers and a handful of friends. Oh, and my sister and I went to try on pretty bridesmaid dresses for her!

Jersey and I really need to finalize our official wedding guest list and send out Save the Date magnets...

The big hoopla wedding/reception for all the family and friends is taking place on April 24, 2010, so we have a bit of time to get our shit together for that, but time flies. Really, I have no idea where the year has gone. And while we may have time for the big hoopla planning, we are getting married in Massachusetts in four weeks.

Repeat.

We are getting married in Massachusetts in FOUR WEEKS! Ahhhh! Ok, I'm really thrilled, but WOW, that's right around the corner. We have a Justice of the Peace and will be getting married in her gazebo, which will be perfect. Plus, given the waiting period and the holiday weekend, we will have some time to relax in New England. I'm very much looking forward to that and have already warned my "part-time" "temporary" boss that I will not reschedule my wedding for her.

TLC - With everything going on right now, I have made a very conscious effort to do nice things for myself (and Jersey) on occasion. In the past several weeks, we've made a trip to a nearby winery, strolled through our favorite outdoor shopping center, treated ourselves to massages, and jumped in the car for a very random trip to San Diego. It's been amazing to reconnect with special moments in the midst of such a crazy time.

Ok, I'm yawning a LOT right now, so I'm gonna stop here...but I'm sure I'll be going into more details about all of this stuff at various times. Thanks to those of you who came back to read after all this time and I really have been reading you, too, even when I haven't had the chance to comment. I'll be back!

So Many Plans

I feel like I should be walking around with a calendar because time is flying and I have a lot of big things planned in the next several months. I hope I don't forget to show up somewhere. Just so that all of you can feel part of my schedule, here's a look at what's coming:

* June 24-28 - Jersey and I are flying to NJ for our "Engagement Party - East," where we will get to catch up with lots of family and friends. I think we're saving some money on this trip by staying with her mom instead of getting a hotel room. By the way, if any of you will be near NJ (specifically Rockaway Township) and would like to come to our crazy party, let me know!

* July 1-20 - My sister is coming to visit! She's a teacher and will be on her summer vacation; I'm very glad that she will be spending so much time with us during her break. We are incredibly goofy when we are together, plus she and Jersey get along very well. It will be so much fun and I can't wait to see her.

* Early July - My mom's significant other, T., will be moving back to Vegas. He's been in Texas for a while (two or three years maybe...I've lost track) and I don't like that I've only been able to see him on brief visits. He's so much fun and life is better with him around. We plan to celebrate his return by grilling burgers and drinking rum.

* July 18 - "Engagement Party - West" will be held at my mom's home. How great is it that my sister and T. will be here for the fun?!? As with our other party, let me know if any of you will be around for the Vegas bash.

* September 3-8 - Crazy East Coast wedding weekend with lots of driving. This isn't 100% set yet, but it's looking pretty solid. Jersey and I will be flying to Boston, applying for a marriage license, hanging out somewhere in the general area for a couple of days (and seeing a blog friend or two?), driving down to NJ for a family wedding, coming back to MA with a probable visit to P-town, picking up the marriage license, and getting married in a tiny (legal!) ceremony. Mrs. Chili and Auntie, we'd love to meet up with you guys together/separately/however/wherever/whenever. Jersey and I don't mind driving all over the place, so don't worry about that. Auntie, if you're interested, shoot me an email (morgangirl11 at gmail dot com) and we can chat about it. Mrs. Chili, I know things are hectic in your life right now, so we can figure it all out as it gets closer. I can't believe I'm going to get married in a few months!

* April 24-May 1 - Big wedding and honeymoon time. While we are getting legally married in MA in September, the big wedding/reception in front of friends and family will be in Vegas on April 24, 2010. The honeymoon location has not been determined, but we have some ideas. I definitely understand why some people think that spending money/time/energy on a huge celebration is silly, but it's something that Jersey and I look forward to sharing with people. This will be a once in a lifetime party for us, so we're going to make it as special as possible.

So, did I miss anything?!?

Scattered

I have been feeling very scattered lately, so maybe a post about my randomness will help me focus (or at least do some prioritizing). Here goes nothing...

* Regarding Mrs. Chili's comment about whether I need fertility treatments to get pregnant (and no, I didn't consider the comment crude at all)...I don't necessarily need them and Jersey and I are still discussing that topic. We've talked about possibly having a cousin of hers donate to me and a cousin of mine donate to her; that's the closest we can get to combining our DNA, and we kind of like the idea of blending our families like that. We've also talked about having a friend or acquaintance donate. Our biggest hesitation is in avoiding any legal loophole that could have someone trying to come back and claim their child later. That freaks us out.

* I'm waiting to hear back from my accountant so that I can find out how much money I owe to the government. While I definitely owe money, I'm excited to find out how far under my saved amount I will be. In other words, I've got X amount already saved for taxes, so X - actual total = money that can go into the wedding fund!

* Wedding planning is fun and not terribly stressful because we booked a venue that includes almost everything we need (dinner, bar, DJ, photographer, flowers, etc.). Jersey and I are trying to figure out the guest list, which is so difficult because of all the people that don't fit neatly into a definite yes or a definite no. We are also working on our registries and finding pictures of cake designs and bouquets that we like. At first I was worried about finding a officiant to do the ceremony (or getting a friend ordained to do it), but then I realized that this isn't going to be a legally recognized marriage anyway, so we should be able to have any friend of ours perform the ceremony with no official status.

* Knowing that we are paying for a wedding/reception next spring, and that we would like to have a baby soon afterward, makes my current job insecurities even worse. I know I've been lucky to do so well over the past year, especially in an industry that has so notoriously fallen apart recently. I've held on to my job, despite changes that have been made in my company (and despite the lack of support from some powers that be), but I'm now facing another challenge to my position. I get nervous not knowing what could happen day to day.

* Partially due to my job insecurity (and partially because I just miss it), I am thinking about going back to school. I'd be looking for an online program, or at least something that is mostly online, so that I would be able to maneuver around my current schedule. And, yes, I am disciplined enough to be able to handle online courses. So, what degree? I haven't gotten that far yet. I want something that will give me a solid (marketable?) career skill; right now I can only fall back on administrative work and food service. Obviously something in a field that isn't going anywhere would be nice, too. My BA is in psychology, which is a nice start for a lot of other things. If I'm leaning toward anything right now, it's probably an MBA. I'm open to other ideas...

* Along with the idea of going back to school, and where I may find future jobs, is the fact that Jersey and I will almost definitely be moving away from Las Vegas within the next five years. I've never particularly liked it here and she hates it. The only reason I'd want to stay is because my mom is here, and while that is a HUGE reason, it can't be my only one. We are doing a (very) preliminary search of different places right now, just so we have some ideas of where we might end up (and because I like to do lots of research before I make decisions). Current possibilities include WA, CA, and CO. There's an outside chance of New England. We'll see.

So that's where my mind is at. My biggest problem is combining too many of these thoughts into one big mess. Focus!