What We Did Last Summer - Entry 1

I always said one nice thing about Pensacola was that it was close to a lot of interesting cities. Of course, we only made road trips to New Orleans, Atlanta, and Destin. Apparently, I just blanked on the idea that Des Moines was close to quite a few places, too. Omaha is 2-3 hours away, Kansas City is the same, Minneapolis is 4 hours, Chicago is 5, St. Louis is a day's drive, and Mizzou is about 4 (I couldn't leave CoMo out:).

So, about a year ago, I realized Green Day was playing in Minneapolis in July. I have loved them since 8th grade. So I begged Jeremy (and it really didn't take much arm twisting), and we decided to make a weekend out of it. The only downside was that my friend Lois was leaving that week to go visit her family in California, so we wouldn't be able to meet up with her.

We drove up on a Friday afternoon because the Twins were in town, so we decided we'd go see them, too. We found a hotel right across from the Target Center, which meant the Metrodome was within walking distance.

I had been to the Twin Cities several times as a kid. My dad's best friend from the Marine Corps lives there, so we took several trips to visit. I had never thought that it was that great of a place. And when I went to visit Lois a few months before the wedding, it was January and cold, so we didn't do much exploring. I was very surprised at what it has become.

We had a decent walk down and back to the Metrodome. Not once did I feel unsafe. Downtown Minneapolis is really clean and safe. There were several cops and security patrols around. And, there were a bunch of bars and restaurants around. I was really impressed. If I were just out of college, I think it would be where I would want to move.

It was nice to go back to the Metrodome one more time to see a Twins game. It's the only ballpark that I've been to where I was on the jumbotron. Granted, I was passed out, but I was on there - mouth hanging open and everything. It was a good game, and I was very happy to find they had microbrews there. This resulted in me not realizing it was the bottoms of the 9th and that the game was over.

The next day, my dad's buddy came and got us for lunch. We got to see Dinkytown and part of the campus. We also started the search for Jeremy's hockey stick. Fun times.


We also explored some of downtown. I was a little bummed that I did not have a hat to throw next to the Mary Tyler Moore statue. Downtown is basically a shopping area with the typical shops and restaurants. But, that also meant we got to have a good choice of where to eat for the concert - and we ended up going with Hard Rock.

I should also say that our hotel was extremely fancy -- but we got an amazing deal on it. However, I also realized that Green Day had the penthouse for the night. This may have resulted in me trying to figure out how to sneak up there. But, considering that the lobby was three floors up and around a corner, I didn't think it was going to be that easy. I was a little bummed that I realized when we were packing up that there was a pillow menu. But, I did keep our Hermes soap -- even though it reeks.

Since we stayed right across the street, it was really easy to get to the concert. The amazing thing was that as we walked out of the hotel, we ran into two people I went to high school with. With all of the people that went, it was an amazing feat.

We had pretty decent seats, but that was a minor thing. The concert was absolutely amazing. They played for about 2.5 hours, and they played the old stuff and the new stuff. The kid next to me thought I was weird as I was belting out the old stuff - I shouldn't have been surprised -- it came out before he was born. I'm very glad we went. It was fabulous.



To finish out the weekend, on our way home, we stopped at the Mall of America. That wasn't too exciting. It's just a big mall. Ikea was lovely though. Des Moines needs one. We also spent quite a bit of time at Hockey Giant - a department store of hockey stuff. I was not so excited; Jeremy was like a kid in the candy store.

So, it was a good weekend. Both of us were very happy with it. It was a nice little mini-vacation.

Not a good way to restart the blog

I'm going to skip the fact that I haven't posted on here in a while and get down to the bad stuff.

Last week, Chewy started acting weird. She wasn't eating, she looked skinny, she was quieter, she was clingier, and she wasn't cleaning herself very well. She got better over the weekend.

Then Monday, she started acting odd again. On Tuesday, she wouldn't headbutt Jeremy. So, I decided I'd cancel my job for today and take her to the vet. Both of us figured she had a sore throat. It made sense.

I got up early and called a vet to see when I could bring her in. By 9:10, we were waiting for the vet.

I knew it wasn't good when the tech said Chewy didn't have a fever.

I got even more nervous when the first question the vet asked was if Chewy had been tested for Feline Leukemia.

By 9:30, she had used the cancer word. Lymphoma to be exact.

After feeling her neck, the vet found two massive lumps. Lumps that I couldn't believe how big they were. I had no idea they were there.

So, they took some cells from one of the lumps. These will actually be sent off to a cytologist to look at closer. The vet looked at them to make sure they were viable and weren't just red cell matter. She said she was pretty sure there were lymphocytes.

She asked if I wanted X-rays. I said yes. I wanted a clearer picture.

The X-rays showed that there are two massive lumps in her neck. They're pushing Chewy's trachea all funny. They're not pinching it. But the fact that it is no longer straight explains why she's been coughing, why she'll only eat wet food, and why she hasn't been eating much. She has to keep her head down to feel comfortable. Luckily, her other organs look basically okay. There do appear to be two masses on the lymph nodes around her heart and lungs. But no tumors on the actual organs.

The more disturbing thing was that Chewy has a BB stuck in her back. She's 13 now; she hasn't been an outside cat in 9.5 years. I was pissed. I was ready to drive to Eddyville and just start beating the shit out of people. But obviously, it's not bothering her since it's been there that long. It's still wrong.

Anyway, we are supposed to hear back about the cells by Friday at the latest. They may not be able to get a solid diagnosis from it. That would mean getting a biopsy,which means cutting a big chunk out of Chewy's neck.

I asked the vet what she would do if it were her cat. She's actually gone through this with her 13 year-old-lab. There is no cure for lymphoma. They can possibly put it into remission with chemo. But that would only prolong the inevitable by a few months.

Jeremy and I have decided that's not an option. We're already pretty anti-chemo because of our personal experiences with our parents. Not being able to explain it to Chewy makes it even worse. This also means that we're not going to do a biopsy either. We're just going to be monitoring her, and when she starts to get worse, we know what we have to do.

I have been a mess all day. It's hard to know I'm going to have to say good-bye to my buddy. We've been through a lot together: moving, sickness, college -- she even gave approval for Jeremy. She's never acted like she's gotten older. It's weird to see her actually act her age.

I know this is the right choice though. But, in the mean time, Chewy gets to eat whatever she wants. This means she gets to have a treat of Hagan-Daas every night. She's rather happy about that.

Iowa weather

Iowa weather is nutty. Today, one part of the state was under a thunderstorm warning while another was under a winter storm warning. We got the rain and hail.

Anyway, there is little to no grass in front of our apartment. This is where Sam goes out to go potty, but he is picky about his paws and doesn't like to get them wet or muddy. Both happen to him if it is raining out.

So, I tried to help him out today and made him some "rain boots." He was not thrilled at first:

You can even see the mud tracked in from the past in this photo up by the Swiffer.

However, the next time when we went out, I made him some bigger ones, and he actually sat patiently while I put them on and didn't try to rip them off. He even trotted down to the mail box with me and didn't seem to be bothered by them. I think he actually figured out that they kept his paws dry, warmer, and clean.

Something has frozen over...

So this week brought the weather I so hated growing up in Iowa in January. Damn cold is the only way to explain it. When the high is below zero, that's just ridiculous.

All week on the weather, they've been talking about we haven't had cold weather for this long of a period since 1996. I remember that cold snap. I holed up in my room the entire week (we had no school because it was too damn cold). My room had a floorboard heater, which I had cranked, and this made my room the warmest in the house. I'd stick my head out every once in a while, yell for some food and listen to my dad gripe that I was going to set the house on fire by dropping something onto the heater (he was paranoid about fire).


Anyway, I decided that I was going to get equipment to help beat the cold that manages to freeze your nostrils together in a matter of seconds (it hurts, trust me). So, while walking through my favorite store here - Scheels (it's a sporting goods store filled with all manner of cold-weather fighting gear) - I found this hat. It may look dorky, but it makes my head sweat. I kid you not. I can go out in this weather, and my head and hands (woo hoo for my fancy gloves) will be sweating. It's a lovely, lovely feeling.

Part of the reason that I got all of this gear was that one of the munchkins turned 8 this week, and we were supposed to go sledding this weekend for her party. Sadly, the stupid weather has postponed it, but my hat, gloves, snow pants (the boy even got some of those this week), and boots will be waiting.

I also gave into fashion and decided I needed a pair of Uggs. Now, I always thought they were ridiculous when the anorexics of La-La Land wore them in summer, and I didn't understand why they were needed in Florida. Here, though, they make sense. I have been coveting a pair since going back to work after Christmas break. I see all the girls with them on and all their fleecy goodness as my feet freeze in my cute flats or heels. So, I searched online and found these:


They aren't as ugly as the typical Uggs, but they're just as warm. However, the problem is no one here has the grey ones. And they weren't much easier to find online, thanks to Oprah making them one of her favorites of 2008. So, they got ordered directly from Ugg central, and I should have them by the end of next week.

The saddest story of the week was Sam Puppy. He had some issues with having to go outside to potty in the frigid weather. He'd submerge himself into drifts so his little belly wouldn't get hit by the wind. Of course, he still managed to look like an idiot because he hops around when his paws get too cold. He was thrilled today that it got up to a balmy 18.

Yes, I used balmy to describe 18.

A bit late

So these photos are from October. Oops.

It started with Emily, pictured below, deciding that everyone had to go to the pumpkin patch on the same day.



So, everyone went because it makes life easier if you just agree with Emily.

If you look closely at Sam's shirt (baby on the left), you can see a small bulge toward the top. He decided that his shirt made a good storage spot for his binky. Everyone thought it was missing, but he had just stuffed it down his shirt.

The pumpkin patch has a play area as well as a hayrack ride down to the patch. They even had a fire pit to roast marshmallows. Jeremy, as you can see, decided to join in on the trike races. I attempted to throw a football; I'm still not good at it, nor should I try to catch it.


All the kids picked out pumpkins. Emily took my advice and got what I said was the most perfect pumpkin in the patch. However, it was a bit too big for her to carry, so she held on to Sam's. Taylor chose to not carry hers at all, which is why she's the only one without one.





And of course, the kids seemed to be most excited about the farm cat that was hanging around.

Woops

This is us, overlooking Florence.

So, I kinda forgot about this blog. Woops. Anyway, to quickly sum it up, we're still the apartment; house isn't sold; but life is good. I'm subbing full-time. I honestly have a job every day. I start classes on Jan. 20 through Mizzou's online program. I'm not in a graduate program yet, so I don't know what my degree will be in. I'm just "testing" the waters right now. Jeremy still likes his job and loves this winter weather. He's also in hockey heaven; he's in two leagues, and we'll be going to Vegas in April because he's on a traveling team (it's their only trip.). This means I get to finally see the Beatles' Love.

And, that about sums it up! Here's some pet photos (Chewy doesn't like to demean herself with crazy Christmas hijinks.)

Sam faces off with an evil bow. The main thing to point out in this photo is that he is not trying to eat the bow or harass me while I'm wrapping presents. I think he was admitting defeat in that something else was taking up my attention other than him.

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Miho apparently thinks she is worth of being wrapped as someone's present.

Update

Well, we are still in the apartment w/ no exit date in sight. I'm ready for the Pensacola house to sell so we can get the ball rolling. Sell, house, sell!

My job situation, however, is looking up. I am waiting for a background check so I can substitute. This is just for one district; I've still got one other district. I also have an interview on Thursday for a part-time communications director position at a local church. It is only 10 to 15 hours a week, so I should be able to do it along with subbing. One of the girls who works with Jeremy passed the job to me and put in a good word for me with the minister. So, send me good vibes on Thursday at 4:15!

Still not going according to plan

So, I won't be going to Drake. I'm not in the mood to pay for a private school to HAVE to do student teaching, which I don't need to get my certificate. I'm looking into online programs now, which means no student teaching and a less intense program, most likely. Mizzou has one that I really like; I just have to make sure it matches up with what I need for my certificate. I will have to take some undergrad classes, but I can take those at a community college for cheaper than at Drake. Besides, if I "go" to Mizzou, I don't have to take the GRE or any test, whereas at Drake, I have to take a writing test and the Praxis. And, I don't have to worry about paying to get my transcripts there because they obviously already have them. I wonder if I get to keep my student number, which I still know.

The daycare job plan went kaputt. Long story short, they lied all over the place. I will not work for pennies to change diapers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an awesome job that is at Meredith publishing. I can handle journalism again as long as it isn't at a daily. I did have a preinterview today at a company that designs newsletters, web pages, etc. for non profits. Right now, I'll just be happy with anything. And being able to do my masters online will make it much easier for me to have a full-time job.

Good news

OK. After the freak outs of last week, things are looking up.

A. I am going to go back to school at Drake. They have a specific master's program for people who weren't education majors, and it makes sure you get your Iowa certification -- plus the master's. I am talking to them on Monday.

B. I spent today applying for any and all jobs I could find. I decided to focus on day cares -- while it isn't exactly teaching the age I want, it is still working with kids. It pays a smidge better than teaching plus I still get benefits.

C. After applying, I got a call back within about 30 minutes. I had to do an online survey/test thing (which I got an excellent on) and got a call back 20 minutes after that. I interview on Thursday. I also have an opportunity to work at Sylvan, but that's just part-time, so I don't think I'll take that.

As long as I can get a job to pay the bills and my yarn/book/DVD/clothes/shoe habit, we're good. I don't have to love it for two years, but I think working at a day care would be a good choice. Keep your fingers crossed!

Rant

I was going to not post anything between the trip posts, but here is an update on the move/job situation.

I found out from the state board today that even though I have two year's teaching experience, above average reviews and amazing recommendations -- I am far from qualified to teach in Iowa. So, starting Monday, I'm job hunting. And not in the teaching field. My plan is to find a 9 to 5 job that I can stand (there will be no newspapering for me), figure out what I REALLY want to do, and start my master's (most likely as a distance ed. student) in January. I know there are some programs I can still sign up for now, but I really want to put thought into what I want.

I have not been happy about this since I found out about it this afternoon (which was after I wasted 10 minutes of my life trying to get a person on the telephone to no avail, and Jeremy went searching on the Web site and wanted to stab it). But, I figure everything happens for a reason, and it's all going to work out. All I need is a job that pays at least what I was making as a teacher (which we all know isn't going to be that hard). It's also nice that DM actually has a lot of opportunities, so while it might not be a job I want to do for the next 30 years, it may be something that at least keeps me interested for the next 2 or 3.

Paris

I don't know why it has taken me so long to write this -- it's not like I'm doing anything of real importance. However, typing things does cut into my reading and knitting time.

Anyway, this was the day that the tour really started. We got our wake up call at 4:45 a.m. I'm not joking. I, however, was up and ready to go at 4:30. I was officially over the probably salmonella I had the day before, and I was ready to be able to see stuff without worry about puking all over it.

We drove through Kent and went past Greenwich. On the way, we also drove past wide, open areas that were actually black death burial pits. They will never build on these.

We took the ferry from Dover to Calais, which was a 90-minute drive, and I managed to not get motion sickness. I was even brave enough to go out on the deck. I did make sure I was down in the seats before we actually moved though. It was a pretty smooth ride, and it gave me plenty of time to knit.


We had really wanted to do the Paris Illuminations dinner, but since it was close to Midsummer's Eve, we couldn't do it because it was light too late. We did get to take a river tour of the Seine, and we went under the Arc de Triumph after we ate. Jeremy was very excited to get to order a burger royale at McDonalds, and I had to point my way to a chicken and lettuce baguette. It was honestly one of the better sandwiches I've ever had. I was a little too excited to be able to walk and tear into the sandwich. America needs a fast food joint called "Le Baguette" that sells yummy sammiches.

We were lucky enough to see the Eiffel Tower's "sparkle show." This also meant we got to see a little bit more of Paris lit up. We took a quick drive past the opera where Phantom of the Opera takes place and drove into the Louvre's courtyard, which was an interesting feat considering the arches into it are very tiny -- basically barely wide (and tall) enough to fit the bus through.


It was another early morning the next day -- not another 4:30 day. But, let's just say we never slept past 7 on this trip. We started off with a tour of the city, which was basically a rehash of the tour of the night before. My complaint was no one pointed out the area that Hemingway liked. Oh well. The tour did include a ticket up to the second observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. I didn't look out so much during the elevator ride up, but I was fine when I got out there. We got some amazing photos of Paris, and I'm very glad I went up. I refused to go to the top, though.


It was then on to the Louvre; I was a little bummed because we did not get to see any of the really ancient stuff -- so no Code of Hammurabi:( However, they did allow photographs, which really surprised us. It was just a highlight tour, which meant we got to see Venus, Mona Lisa, and the Winged Victory. We also saw a few of the slaves that Michaelangelo sculpted for a pope's tomb (one of the Piuses, I think), and we got to see the rest of them when we saw the David in Florence. The big bummer, though, was that all of the "modern" art is in the Musee d'Orsey. This meant no Monet or Van Gogh for me. Had it not been for the fact that I got to see these classic works of art, I don't think I would have wanted to go into the Louvre. It was PACKED. I don't think they believe in following fire codes. It was enough to almost make me have a panic attack.




After the Louvre, we went to Monmarte, because it was on a hill -- we got another great view of Paris. We had lunch at a little cafe, and the birds here were insanely tame. Birds would fly in and out of the restaurant, eating crumbs off the floor. One actually clipped me in the head with its wings or feet. There were still a bunch of artists that set up shop in the center of this area.

That night, it was on to the Moulin Rouge. The food wasn't that great, and the show started to drag. It might have been helpful had it not be in French. We had no clue what they were singing about. During the circus portion of the show, there was a mini horse that looked like it was ready to escape. I hoped it would go nutty and do so, but no such luck.

This was really the end of our time in Paris, which was a really sobering thought. I really loved it and am ready to go back. There's just so much to see that we didn't get to go to -- like Notre Dame and the Musee de Orsey. It's a clean New Orleans, and it might have taken over New Orleans' spot as my favorite place.

Europe -- Days 1 and 2 -- England

I'm going to attempt to get this Europe trip documented by the end of this week, but I"m not guaranteeing anything.

Anyway, our flight to London was great. I was excited because I got to see Massachusetts' boot; however I wasn't brilliant enough to take a picture of it. We were excited because we had video screens in our seats, so we got to have games, trivia (and together we beat up the other players on the plane), and pick which movies we wanted to watch.

We got into Gatwick about 7 a.m., and I as usual attracted the person who thought that cows were sheep and that it was SOOOO amazing that England had these HUGE areas where THOUSANDS of cars were parked. I wanted to turn around and say, "Ma'am, if you've ever left your house in the U.S., you'd realize those are parking lots." I really couldn't make up this stuff if I tried.

Gatwick is a 30 minute train ride away from London, and the great part was our travel company (Trafalgar) arranged for our transport from plane to airport. We got to Victoria Station and then were introduced to London traffic, which was the calmest we saw on the trip. I will never make too much fun of Missouri drivers anymore.

We couldn't get our room until after 1, so we left our bags with the front desk and took off walking. We figured we'd find a currency exchanged on the way, but no dice. We stumbled onto Kensington Park, so we ended up wandering around it for the day. This meant we saw Kensington Palace (where Diana lived, and the entire continent is obsessed with her), Royal Albert Hall (there was some squealing when I realized what it was and then educated Jeremy on the fact that Beatles played there and the entire story behind it), the Albert memorial, Diana's memorial (Jeremy said it looked like a log ride), and amazingly well-behaved dogs. Sam would not have fit in over there. We headed back to the hotel, got our room, and crashed out because we could no longer keep our eyes open. We didn't wander out for dinner and opted for the hotel food.

The next morning, we had a 1/2 day tour scheduled, and we get on the bus only to find out we will get to see the queen; princes Harry, William, Charles, and Philip; Princess Ann; and Camilla because it was the queen's birthday (Trouping the Colour). My mouth immediately dropped open, and I was just ready to go stand on the edge of the street. On this tour we also drove past Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. James Palace, the museums and Downing Street. Since it was the "big" day, we also got to see a lot of the nobles in their fancy clothes and big hats (yes, I was bummed that I wasn't given enough notice because I would have so bought a big hat to wear). The bad part of the day was that I was sick. I'm blaming the awful English food, but I honestly don't know what it was. All I know is that seeing food made my stomach curl, and made me a little agitated. The short, rude woman who kept shoving her camera in my view at the parade almost got beat down because of this. At least the boy is tall and got decent pictures. Neither of us managed to get Prince Charles or Princess Ann; they were wearing full dress uniform so the hats obscured them. They were there though.

Philip, why do all these commoners think that I care to see them?

Camilla's hat was just ugly. I would have had a much more interesting one.

After Trouping the Colour, the tour was basically done. So, we hiked it down to Buckingham Palace, which is smaller than I thought it was, and then went back to Westminster Abbey so we could go inside. It was a little unnerving to think that we were walking over graves in the church and that we were basically looking at graves the entire time, but it was very interesting. They had a very good audiotour that was narrated by Jeremy Irons. I was happy enough to see the grave of Elizabeth I, which includes a life size figure of her. We were very glad we went.

Then, we trooped it up to the national gallery, which we were kinda disappointed in. There weren't many impressionist paintings, and I'm most happiest seeing Monet and Van Gogh. It did have DaVinci's Maddona on the Rocks, so it was nice to see that.

We were still jet lagged, and I was tired and cranky thanks to the stomach issues, so we got on the Underground and went back to the hotel. I crashed out for two hours, and Jeremy went to the grocery store to get us peanut butter and bread. I had croissants for dinner, and he had peanut butter sandwiches. Neither of us felt like we were missing out on much.

I did not go to Abbey Road. I couldn't easily pinpoint it on the maps we had, and I was too sick to really make an effort to go see it. I was happy enough that we saw the royals because how often does that happen?

Hopefully, I will update tomorrow with details from Paris, which was our favorite part of the trip, much to my surprise. Of course, the French know how to make bread, which will endear any country to me.

Moving home

This used to be our wedding blog; now, it's going to record our exploits in Iowa, including the stress of building a home.

Had you asked me even two years ago if I would move back to Iowa, I would have told you to have your sanity levels tested. I didn't realize how homesick I was, though, until the boy suggested that we move back to Des Moines last December. We had planned to move somewhere in the U.S., but I had figured it was going to be somewhere I hadn't lived yet. I am glad that we're going though. It's time to go back to my nutty, little family.

Of course, in the past few weeks, I've been questioning the decision. I'm a little nervous because I'm unemployed right now -- although the unemployment rate in Iowa is only 3 percent. I'll find something, even if it is just subbing full-time this year. But, it still makes me nervous. But, when I find out I get to go to Parker's T-ball game the first weekend we're there, and when I hear that he was VERY upset and disappointed that Aunt Beth didn't come up this time with Uncle Jeremy, I know we're moving to the right place.

Besides, I can't tell these two they can't spend time together now:

And it's done

The wedding has come and gone, and it really was the happiest day of my life. I had so much fun! To prove that I had fun, the bottom of my dress is nice and black. It was so great having all my girls back together and out on the dance floor.

The day went by with few bumps (minus the fact that the keys went to the reception and we did not, so we got to spend time together alone at the church). And, the weather was nice enough to hold off until after the ceremony. Besides -- it's good luck to have rain on your wedding day -- and it didn't bother any of the festivities (and even washed off the car polish from the rental so it saved us some work).


Most of our vendors were superb. I can't say enough good things about our florist, Shannon Pallin of Fiore. She did such a great job!! All the flowers were great! New World Landing was also great. Jennifer and her crew spoiled us and did an amazing job!! And, staying in with the typical theme, Salter Photography did a great job (the photos from this post are from them). They even managed to find me putting on my beloved Chucks. If you'd like to see more of their highlights, you can go here. The gallery will be up for about two months and is just a sampling of the prints I will get.

However, not all our vendors were great. While my hair looked great, my nails started to pop off the day I got them. They were all gone after a week -- and that wasn't even from me trying to take them off. Lesson: I am not going back to Experience, even if they do have Bumble and Bumble.

Also, I was not happy with our DJ, Boogie Inc. The DJ appeared to be wasted by the end of the night and even cut off the song that my bridesmaids and I requested while we were singing it. And, when all five of us looked over at her and complained, she laughed. Lets just say that the comment card they sent us is getting returned with not such a good review.

But, other than that I can't complain. We had extra entertainment provided by my little cousin, Parker. And, we had the people that meant the most to us there to help us celebrate. In addistion to the professional photos, there are more at www.flickr.com/photos/bethknipper

Glam!

I got my bridals done last night. I'm posting two photos here that really don't show the dress just in case a certain boy decides to actually look at this blog.



As usual I was late (I really didn't realize how long my makeup was going to take), but it was a fabulous shoot with Patsy Brown and the Leythams (well, Rae didn't shoot, but she did a good job of looking like a cute pregnant lady who made me laugh a lot). I'm really fortunate to have so many good photogs:)

Now I just have to figure out which one I like the best! It's not going to be an easy job!

More things to cross off that stupid list

What's this a picture of?

My DIY bustle.

I first attempted to do a one-point over bustle and then I got impatient with it and said screw it. So, now it is a bastardized version of an underbustle. Point is, it serves its purpose and isn't too hard to put up. Sorry the photo is not so great; this is what happens when Jeremy has the digital camera at work and I'm at home.

It reminded me how much I detest sewing. But, thankfully my grandmother attempted several times to teach me how to quilt, so I can do the basics every once in awhile.

I did find a favor box kit at Michael's, and it's going to be easy to put together. So Jeremy's going to be recruited to help put these together. The hardest part will be me trying to not kill the printer for the labels, which will just have a big "k" on them.

I also found a hairstyle I like. It won't be what I'm doing for my bridals on Friday, but I do want something similar for the actual day. This picture doesn't show it, but the tiara goes before the "bump" and part of it is under the part that's pulled back. The veil goes behind the "bump." I liked it because it was a little different but is still curly and is partially pulled back.

Bad news, good news, things got done!

*Monday morning edit: I realized I forgot to put the good news on here. I get easily distracted and things leave my brain in no time at all. This week I'm blaming it on spring break since I have no responsibility except to remember to wake up to go to the beach on time with friends. Anyway, the good news is that we have Les back in the wedding!!!! He found out he can get weekend passes from jump school, so he'll be here! He claimed he couldn't be in the wedding b/c there's still a chance he might not make it and that he doesn't know exactly what time he'll get here. However, I told him he's bringing his dress uniform because his skinny little butt will be up front with us. So now we'll have two best men because Jeremy and I couldn't bring ourselves to demote Adam. Although, he did say it would be OK. He's really happy now because he doesn't have to give any speeches. I'm just happy because the numbers are even again!*

This week didn't start off so well. Jeremy's dad died, and while I thought I was pretty secure with dealing with the death of someone close again. But no, I had flash blacks all week of when my mom died. It was painful, and I hated doing anything with the wedding.

But, some things did get accomplished.

Jeremy had time to call and get some answers from the church, so I could cross that off the list. We decided to forgo the trolley because it was going to be insanely expensive (Not insanely expensive but more than we wanted to spend), so we're going to just rent a snazzy car for ourselves (like a mustang). I even managed to find a guitar for Matt so he doesn't have to bring his from Missouri. And, we both figured out what we're buying for the bridal party (mine is even ordered and on the way.)

This week I'm off so I'm going to work on the program, have my bridals taken, and finish thank you notes!

More stuff done, I am on a roll

After the realization that this thing is actually happening and is happening really quickly and that I still had a lot of things to do, I managed to get some things done this week.

I've been putting off figuring out who was going to do my hair. My normal girl isn't good with updos, so I couldn't use her. I have never liked going to a new person (yes, it was very traumatic when I moved here). I've only had 3 hairstylists my entire life, and I'm very thankful I've found the one I have now too, otherwise I'd seriously be figuring out a way to see Shirley in Iowa 3 or 4 times a year. Anyway, I digress. I decided to just go ahead and call Experience Spa to set up an appointment. I've got my trial run on March 31 and an appointment for the morning of the 14th with Bridgette. Woo hoo. I also remembered to make an appointment for that Wednesday to get my nails and toes done, as well as an eyebrow was. Jeremy even wanted an appointment to get a manicure, and now I've been told he wants a pedicure too. So, we're having those done together.

Tonight, I decided it was time to sit down and figure out what to do for favors. Luckily, The Knot (how I love that site) had mini Hershey's bars on sale that could be personalized. So they are on the way. Now I just have to find something to put them in, and we are good to go.

So now my list is down to 64 things. And a lot of those really aren't major things. One of them is to actually go to the trial run, and since I've got it scheduled, I feel pretty OK with it. This thing might actually get fully planned before April 14:)

!

AAAAAAAACk!!!!

37 days, 67 things left on the checklist.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

That is all.

A roller-coaster week

This has been one emotionally crazy week.

Last weekend I realized that my dress was supposed to be done at the end of January. Being that it was a month later, and I hadn't heard from the alterations lady, I was a bit nervous.

Monday, I called. All I got was: You have wrong number.

I was scared out of my mind. Being six weeks away from the wedding, there was NO way I could order a new one and have it get here on time. In my panic, I started looking online for a back-up plan. Luckily, J. Crew had one that was very similar, even though it was twice the price of mine. Jeremy was nice enough to offer to pay for it if I did have to get a new one.

Tuesday, I rushed to Gulf Breeze to check on it. It was there; it was OK; it just wasn't done. She told me it would be another week. Rational thought returned to my brain. I celebrated by buying a new pair of Birkenstocks for my rehearsal dinner dress (although I did seriously contemplate buying a pair of black Rainbows for it).

Wednesday, I met with the reception hall people and set up the menu (chicken and pasta with sugar snap peas and a salad), so that was taken care of and was extremely easy and painless.

Friday, I realized I had a voice mail after school. My dress was done! I rushed back to Gulf Breeze, got it, rushed home, tried it on, and it's perfect! IT doesn't have a bustle yet because she doesn't ever do wedding dresses but did mine because it was plain and only needed hemmed. However, I have figured out a way to do it myself either involving a safety pin on the inside with the existing ribbon or sewing in another ribbon to tie it together. This wedding is really making me into Martha Stewart. But considering I will pay less than $60 for alterations and the bustle, which usually costs people about the cost of my dress, I'm quite OK with that.

Today I had my first run-in with using a new last name. We were at Barnes & Noble, and Jeremy decided that pre-ordering the last Harry Potter online wasn't going to work. So, as I started filling out the form, I realized that when it comes out in July, I will no longer be Beth Evans. Writing Beth Knipper felt really odd. It's going to take some getting used to ...