My Wedding Photo Book

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Not as young as I once was

We headed to the park this morning behind schedule as always.  I-35 was closed so we had to take a longer route to get to the park.  Once there I stumped the ticket clerk with my coupon for half price tickets with my ACE membership.  Once that was resolved, we had to wait in lengthy lines to get in.  Thankfully once in, we headed first to Superman and got a front row side in under five minutes.  We then rode the Sky Screamer swings, Poltergeist, and Iron Rattler.  After that we needed something to drink.  We stopped briefly to quench our thirst with overpriced beverages.  We then took another ride on Superman – in the second to last row.  By then the heat was really getting to us.  I checked the Looney Tunes store to see if there was a Marvin the Martian item that I might need, but I didn’t find anything that I really wanted.  We mostly just needed to get out of the sun for a bit.  We finally rode Goliath and then called it a day.  They only time we had to wait in line for any length of time was for Iron Rattler.  We left the park around 1:30 and then went to Red Robin for lunch.  We got home around 3:30 and I fell on the bed and napped hard for about an hour and a half until Matt wouldn’t stop playing with the dog.  He got up to do some laundry, but by then I was already awake so I got up.  Now I have a headache and I can feel the aches and pains in my body from my excursion today. 

I’m looking forward to visiting Darien Lake Park in a few weeks where the high temperatures are generally in the low 80s.  As much as I’d like to drive over to Cedar Point or Kennywood while we are up north, we just won’t have the time.  Matt and I are talking about a road trip next summer, however, so we may get up that way again. 

We haven’t made it to church yet so we have to go to the late service at 7:30.  Hopefully I will sleep really well tonight.  I’m going to be taking Matt out tomorrow to run several errands.  We have to go to the bank to deposit my refund check from the church, then look at some towels at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and then go buy some shorts for Matt.  After that he will probably want to play Scrabble with his friend Jason.  Oh, I also have to stop by the social security office and driver’s license office to start my name change process. 

7 Quick Takes – July 25

--- 1 ---

Boredom has set in.  There are things that I should be doing – like cleaning up the wedding crafting mess upstairs, but I don’t want to.  Wednesday night I even cooked dinner from scratch for Matt.  After that, I was bored.  Matt was reading, there was nothing on t.v.  I have no book interests at the moment.  We finally headed out to the hardware stores to start using some of our gift cards.  Nothing says happy wedding like buying a new toilet seat, huh? 

--- 2 ---

I went up to school earlier this week to take our reception leftovers so I could have refrigerator and counter space back.  While there I picked up a few spelling textbooks as I make plans to teach a Scrabble class this year.  I’m not sure how I’m going to do it exactly, but I’m glad that I get to develop my own curriculum.  Problem is that it will take a lot of time that I don’t necessarily have.   

--- 3 ---

I’m still waiting for the official marriage certificate from the county where we got married so I can start the name change process.  This is the 3rd time I’ve had to do this.  I did it after I got married the first time, then changed my name back to my maiden name when I got divorced.  It’s a pain, but hopefully I’ll get everything done in the next week or so.   

--- 4 ---

Josh and a friend are coming home this weekend.  They want to go to Fiesta Texas and who am I to say no to riding some coasters?  I haven’t even used my season pass yet this year so I think I need to get some coaster riding done.  I’ll get to add a few new coasters to my list when we go on our honeymoon.  We are going to Darien Lake Theme Park near Buffalo, NY.  We may also try to get to Six Flags in Arlington sometime in September. 

--- 5 ---

We never heard anything from Matt’s mother regarding our wedding.  She didn’t come to it or the SA reception.  She never sent a gift or even a card acknowledging the event.  I guess she thinks that if she ignores it, that it didn’t happen.  I’m wondering if I should send her a picture.  She’d probably rip it up, but she’d have to look at it first.  How can you not be happy for your child who gets married?  If Matt was a horrible person, perhaps I could understand, but I just don’t get it.   

--- 6 ---

I’ve finished writing all the thank you notes for both the wedding and the second reception.  We have some very generous friends and family.  We have enough money for the honeymoon expenses I think.  I’m looking forward to the trip to Buffalo.  

--- 7 ---

Since company is coming tonight I guess I really have to get off the couch and clean.  I typically make deals with myself and set a deadline for getting started.  Of course I often renegotiate when I am in the process of total goofing off and don’t want to get started.  I figure as long as I’m done before they arrive, then I’m good.  The house is mostly clean.  I do need to vacuum and clean the loft area.  My deadline for getting started is 2:00 p.m. today.  That gives me another 2 1/2 hours of internet browsing, watching Monk, and maybe napping.  Ah, the life of librarian with summers off.   

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Summer is coming to an end

I really only have about two more weeks of summer vacation at home.  I really should be working on the house and hanging some of the decorative gifts we received as wedding presents.  Yesterday I did clear the kitchen of the excess boxes and clutter – meaning I threw boxes in the garage and just took the gifts upstairs.  The garage looks like boxes have been breeding in there.  We are slowly recycling them, but there are so many and our recycling is only picked up once a week.  I’ll take a few of the sturdier boxes with me to school for packing up textbooks that are going out of adoption this year. 

I’ve just wanted to be completely lazy the last few days.  I’ve done a pretty good job of it though I did get out of the house for a little while yesterday.  I had to go to the bank to cash a couple of checks we got as wedding gifts.  We are saving all the money to use on our honeymoon trip.  It looks like we may not need to use any of our own money for food or excursions.  I then went to Target looking for new bath towels to buy with some gift cards.  I couldn’t make up my mind.  The colors I wanted didn’t have enough towels for me to buy so I guess I’ll keep looking.  I then went to Walmart for groceries. 

Josh is coming home this weekend and bringing a girl who isn’t quite a girlfriend, but is someone he hangs out with a lot.  He wanted to go to Fiesta Texas so we are going to go on Sunday.  It’s going to be hot.  Amazingly we have not yet reached 100 degrees in SA yet, but it’s getting close as we’re in the high 90’s each day. 

Yesterday I goofed around on Pinterest a lot.  I was saving ideas for my library and for teaching a Scrabble class next year.  I’m going to focus on a lot of spelling rules, word lists, and vocabulary. 

This morning I think I’ll head up to the school and take some leftover food from the second reception.  There’s only so much cake I can eat.

7 Quick Takes – Post Wedding

--- 1 ---

I’ve spent most of this week writing thank you cards.  I don’t know if that is considered an old fashioned practice any more, but I do feel obligated to thank those that have given us wedding gifts.  Of course I’m so verbose that I can’t just have a three line thank you.  I have the fill the card.  Yesterday I finished writing 42 cards and I put them in the mail today. 

--- 2 ---

I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do about a wedding cake for our second reception.  Matt and I balked at one bakery that wanted $700 for a custom Scrabble cake.  We thought we would just do a photo cake at Sam’s but they wouldn’t do it because of copyright.  I think I might just order a plain sheet cake and put a scrabble board on it. 

--- 3 ---

I need to start the process of getting my name change stuff done, but have to wait for the official marriage license to be returned.  I hope I don’t have to wait in lines forever at the Social Security and Driver’s license offices.  I guess it’s good that I have a Kindle – that should keep me busy when I’m there. 

--- 4 ---

We had some big storms roll through here last night.  A local hotel was hit by lightning and an apartment complex lost a good portion of its roof.  I’ve found that by wearing earplugs, I’m not as bothered by storms when they come through for the most part.  This one kept me up for a little while, but only about 15 minutes or so. 

--- 5 ---

My kitchen is full of boxes.  I’ve been unpacking gift items – most of which belong in the kitchen.  Matt brought home three new boxes of dishes yesterday.  His coworkers purchased the remaining five sets of dishes that was on our registry.  We’ll get the other two sets soon and then have a complete set of matching dishes!  The only thing we didn’t get is a set of four cereal bowls but we have enough from gift cards that we can buy those.

--- 6 ---

Our second reception is this Sunday.  I decided to just get the same stuff that we had at our wedding.  I ordered sandwich and pinwheel trays from Walmart and fruit and cheese trays from the local grocery store.  We still have to decide on the cake though.  We are having the reception at the downtown library.  I have no idea how many people will come, but hopefully we’ll have enough food for everyone.  I’m going to be smart and get some food before everyone else this time.   

--- 7 ---

I think I might need to schedule regular manicures.  I got a manicure and a facial on the Friday before the wedding.  It has been well over 15 years since I’ve had a manicure.  I had fake nails once, but I couldn’t get used to them and hated how they messed up my real nails when I decided to get rid of them.  I have fairly thin nails and usually can’t keep them long, but I love how they are shaped after the manicure.  I can’t wear colored polish because I am fairly rough with my hands.  I planned on just getting clear gloss, but went with glittery polish.  Maybe now that I’m a married grown up, I can splurge on girly stuff once in a while.   

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

So I got married this weekend…

I have to say that all in all, it was quite perfect.  There were things that didn’t happen – like I wanted to have programs, but didn’t have time to get them done, but overall it was a beautiful ceremony and wonderful reception.  The only time I teared up was when I heard Josh’s music that he wrote for the wedding.  He used one of my favorite hymns and it got to me.  I held it together since I was sitting in front of everyone, but it was just beautiful. 

The pictures are just taken with phones as the photographer is still putting together the album. 

Front of my dress

The back

 

Bridal Party

Groom and Groomsmen

Me and Josh

Flower Girls – my brother’s daughter and my cousin’s daughter.

We walked down the aisle together.  I bucked all the traditions – no bouquet throwing or cake feeding.

Saying our vows

Exchange of rings.  Matt couldn’t figure out where he was supposed to place his hand and it made the priest laugh.

After the ceremony

The wedding cake turned out more perfect than I could imagine!  I couldn’t have been more happy with the results.  Titles were a twist on some of our favorite books/authors. 

I created a timeline with Scrabble boards and had bookmarks as wedding favors.  It was a big hit. 

My decorators used old books and Scrabble tiles for decorations on the tables.

The next day the car was completely full of luggage, table decorations, and gifts!

I’m getting married today!

Sorry there was no quick takes post yesterday.  It was a whirlwind of activity.  I still feel like something is still left undone, but I’m getting married today in spite of that.  I intended to sleep in this morning, but was awake by 5:30.  I finally gave up and got out of bed around 6:00.  I have my hair and makeup person coming at 8:00 this morning.  I’m not sure if I will be able to eat anything for breakfast, but I probably should try since I won’t get to eat again until the reception.   I’ll try to post some pictures of the wedding in the next few days. 

Back in the Panhandle

We were able to get Josh some new tires first thing yesterday morning in Abilene.  The rest of the drive was thankfully uneventful.  I headed to my friend Pam’s house to drop off some stuff to her.  I had chocolate items for the wedding and I knew that I would be running around town and didn’t want to leave them in my car where they would melt.  After that I headed back to Canyon to scope out band camp for a flute player.  Luckily I ran into the high school band director.  (He was also my junior high boyfriend and first kiss in the 8th grade.)  I asked him if he could recommend someone to play flute and he introduced me to his son’s girlfriend.  She agreed to play so I gave her the music and the details.  So that’s one less thing to worry about.  After that I ordered fruit and cheese trays for the wedding from the local grocery story.  Next I went to Taco Villa for lunch, but was surprisingly disappointed.  I didn’t order my standard meal since I figured I would be eating there multiple times.  I ordered the chicken fajita salad, but for some strange reason they put BEANS on it.  Every time I have ever ordered it before, it has not had beans.  Yuck.  I ate the top layer and just left the icky beans.  My next stop was a craft store in search of some wedding items.  I also picked up some gift cards for the people that are singing in the wedding.  I finally headed to my brother’s house where I’m staying this week.  I was actually able to get to sleep fairly easily last night.  (Probably because I’m not worrying about flute player any more.)   I woke briefly around 3  a.m. and then went back to sleep.  I got up around 7:15 to see my brother and his wife off to work.  I may doze a bit longer and then head out to do more stuff. 

Road Trip Drama

So Josh and I headed out from San Antonio this morning a little after 11:00 a.m. on our way up to the Panhandle.  Everything seemed to be going fine until Josh blew a tire just outside of Kerrville.  Luckily he made it to a safe area, but I didn’t see him until it was too late to exit.  It took me about 20 minutes to get back to him because I couldn’t readily find an exit and then went too far back.  I called him and he was about ready to jack the car up, but I reminded him to loosen the lug nuts before he jacked the car.  After the tire was changed, we turned around and took a back road into Kerrville to a Discount Tire which was closed.  We then went to the Walmart next door and the automotive place there was also closed.  It seems that on a Sunday if you need a new tire in Kerrville, you’re simply out of luck.  I tried calling other towns nearby and it was the same situation.  So we had to decide whether to go back to San Antonio (an hour away) or move forward and stay in another town over night.  We opted to head up to Abilene and stay the night.  Since the spare is just the donut sized wheel, we only drove about 60 mph.  On one of the pit stops I booked a hotel through Priceline.  So we have an appointment at Discount Tire tomorrow morning and then we will hit the road.  I’m now half a day behind, but Josh may have some leads for a flute player. 

Seven quick takes – July 4 Edition

--- 1 ---

My wedding crafting is still slow going, but I am making progress.  Today I printed out a bunch of timeline photos and text to use for a Scrabble board collage.  Now I just have to glue everything down.  I didn’t get as much done as I’d planned, but it will have to do.  I still have some mason jars to decorate and then I’ll be finished.    

--- 2 ---

I picked up my wedding dress today after it was altered.  The sleeves have now been sewn in place so there should be no worries about them coming unsnapped.  I didn’t get a chance to try it on again yet, but will do that when I get to Amarillo next week.   

--- 3 ---

It has been a relatively uneventful 4th of July so far.  After sleeping in, I did some house cleaning and crafting.  Matt watched the hotdog eating contest while I went to pick up my dress and go to the grocery store.  Matt grilled hotdogs and I made some pasta salad.  Now Matt is watching soccer (boring) and I tried to take a nap but couldn’t fall asleep.  I guess I continue crafting or cleaning shortly.

--- 4 ---

Tomorrow Matt and I are going to confession at the Cathedral.  It’s still my least favorite thing about being Catholic, but it must be done before we get married.  It will be good to start with a clean slate so to speak.  

--- 5 ---

Josh and I will be heading up to Canyon on Sunday in separate cars.  He has things he wants to do while there and will need access to his own vehicle.  He will follow me up there so I can fill his tank with gas as needed. I’ll be staying at my brother’s most of the week until Friday when I’ll be in the hotel in Canyon and Matt will be at my brother’s.  We’re having a bachelorette party of sorts that evening – but no male strippers thank goodness!  I just wanted some wine and desserts.     

--- 6 ---

I’ve been wearing contacts every other day this past week trying to get my eyes used to wearing them again.  I still had two pair left that I’d never worn and they are set to “expire” this month.  I plan to wear contacts during the wedding.  I just hope I don’t have to read anything because I won’t be able to without reading glasses when I have my contacts in.  I think I’m going to look into getting some of the new bifocal contacts they have out right now. 

--- 7 ---

Can you believe a week from tomorrow that I’ll be married??  It’s been a long road.  I just realized a few days ago that I missed a fairly significant blogging anniversary.  I’ve had this blog for 10 years as of May 25.  My how time flies and things have changed.  Let’s see, we have dealt with Richard, Marty, Patrick, Steve, Brian, Thomas, Michael, and finally the man I’m going to marry, Matt (aka Library Guy).  I guess I had to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince!   

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

It’s coming fast

As much as I am trying to get everything done, time is moving too fast.  I have just three more days to get my crafts done before I head up to the Panhandle.  I missed a full day of doing stuff as I had to take a trip to Houston to deliver a washer and dryer to Josh.  He and his roommate moved into another house and got two more roommates.  It’s a much nicer and bigger place, but they didn’t have a washer and dryer.  Luckily we still had Matt’s units in the garage, but wasn’t sure how to get them to him.  I rented a pickup truck on Monday and we drove out there.  It cost more for the gas than it did to rent the truck.  But he’s set up and can do laundry now.  After we got them delivered, we headed to lunch with Matt’s friend Kristi and Josh.  After we dropped Josh off, we went to IKEA since neither of us had ever been to one before.  It’s pretty overwhelming.  I did find some inexpensive magazine holders that I could use for my library so I picked several packages of those up.  We had to deal with Houston traffic for a while as we headed out.  We got in around 10:30 p.m. 

We took the truck back the next morning and then went to a cake shop to see how much it would cost to order a custom Scrabble cake.  The bakery quoted us a price of almost $700.  That was outrageous.  We decided we would order a photo sheet cake from Sam’s Club for $40 instead.  The book cake I’m having made in Canyon is only going to be around $200. 

Although I’m supposed to be focusing on the crafts that need to be completed for the wedding, I keep getting distracted by other things.  My aunt called me yesterday and said that she was going to order me some of the dishes from my registry and told me that there were not any left.  I’ve only received three sets so far so I’m not sure who else has bought the others, but it’s exciting.  So yesterday evening I reorganized all my kitchen cabinets in preparation for all the new kitchen stuff that we’re getting.