Pictures!

The link to our wedding pictures is: http://www.jeffmasonphoto.com/clients/index.php

Again, our access code is my new last name - if you don't know what that is, you'll have to check with GoonSquad Sarah as she will give out that info to those she deems worthy. As for anyone else, I'll make that decision when we come back from Italy.

I will also be putting up a Flickr account when we get back that will be full of pictures from friends and family of the entire event. If you've taken pictures and haven't put them up or emailed them to me, please do so! Some of the funniest pictures are the random ones caught by friends and family, especially from the after-party.

I can't say enough about our photographer, Jeff. He was absolutely amazing and I will definitely be using him in the future. He has such an amazing talent and is a pleasure to work with - he was just the laid back type of person we wanted for our wedding. Best of all, I don't necessarily have to come to Florida to have Jeff as my family photographer as he spends quite a bit of time in the DC area. BONUS!

Thank you Jeff, for such fantastic work and having fun with us!

As for the next few weeks, Matt and I will be off in Italy relaxing and enjoying our honeymoon. I have given Sarah access to this site to do with as she pleases. She may or may not have time - whatever. Who knows - she may come up with some funny pictures or stories from our past (distant or recent) that she would like to share with everyone.

In the meantime, I'll leave with a few random pictures that show a very brief synopsis of our day.

It Is Done

There really should be some type of exhaustion warning associated with a wedding day. We got started last Wednesday - it is now Tuesday after the wedding and we're still doing stuff. I haven't been so tired in all my life. I'm actually looking forward to going back to work so I can have some type of restful normalcy in my life. As normal as it gets when a married couple live separately in two different states.

I will put up a few pics as soon as I can and of course, I'll put up the link to the photographers photos as soon as it is available - everyone knows the password right? If not, it is my new last name. For those of you who don't know what that is, I will leave it up to GoonSquad Sarah to pass that around to those she deems worthy. If she doesn't get back with you, I will be putting up a Flickr account when I come back. You'll just have to hang in there.

As usual, there is a lot going on right now (no rest for the newly married obviously) so I don't know when I'll have time to actually write again. Maybe not until after the honeymoon. OOOOoooooooooo, Honeymooooooooon....Oh, I just can't wait!

I'll let Sarah have access or maybe even take over this site until I come back. Just be warned, I'm not responsible for what she says/does here though - don't believe a word of it! I have always been an angel!

Brothers

Sarah and I are half way through our trek from Virginia to Florida - somehow, April has creeped up on us and I'm told that my wedding is in 5 days. We've stopped in South Carolina for the evening and so far, the kids have been fantastic. Really, who has almost 4-years olds that can ride 7-8 hours in car seats this well behaved? Someone remind me to take parenting classes from Sarah and Gabe at a later date.

I will tell you one thing, traveling by car is hard on the diet. I'm so full right now, I'm not sure I'll be able to eat again. I'm pretty sure the pitcher of Sangria from the restaurant next door hasn't helped. Ugh.

Anyway, on with the real topic of this post...

The Ushers

My family is extremely important to me and I knew the moment Matt and I decided to get married I wanted all of my siblings involved. So, I asked my three younger brothers to be our Ushers. I’ll introduce them to you now.

Michael, the oldest of the three, will be 24 years old at our wedding. He is 11 years younger than I am. He is quiet, but not exactly shy. He is strong willed, smart and very capable. He is a great father of three handsome boys, Michael Jr.(5), Timothy (2) and Kyle (1).

His talent with mechanics absolutely amazes me. From the time he was very young, he was taking things apart and putting them back together. Trying to figure out how it worked. That desire to ‘figure it out’ only intensified as he grew up. As a young teen, he was finding things around the house to fix or put a motor on. I remember he built a working chainsaw from old parts and motors he found around the house. As he moved into his late teens/early twenties, he was taking apart car engines and putting them back together. He’s the guy I call when my car is making that weird noise. He’s worked on all of the cars in the family at least once, probably more.


Baron is in the middle, born when I was 14 years old. He will be 21 years old at our wedding. That age - when you begin to figure it out, make better choices for yourself, and really start to grow up. He is also a great father of a handsome boy, Braeden (2).

He is nothing short of a clown. He loves to play, joke and laugh. He’s extremely quick witted and always has a smart remark ready to fly. I’m convinced he could be the next Jim Carrey. Our Mom used to spend a ridiculous amount of time in the deans office at his school because he was always up to something. She used to call me and say, “Guess what your brother did today?” I was scared to ask. He is also the salesman of the family. I swear that boy could sell a bridge over the ocean in Nebraska.

Baron lived in Georgia until recently and every now and then he would get a few days off and decide to drive down for a quick, random visit. Just off the fly. I never know when he’s going to call and tell me he’s an hour away from my house and wants to know if it’s ok if he stops by. I love to be around Baron, his love of life never ceases to amaze me.

John is the youngest. He will be 17 years old at our wedding. Yep, that’s right, the last teenager in our family. John and I are the most alike. If you haven’t already noticed, we have the same cheeks. Those chubby cheeks that people like to pinch, the ones that will never allow us to grow up. We also seem to think alike. He calls me often for help with his homework and gets frustrated like I used to because, “they are teaching slower than I learn”. I get it. If the teacher couldn’t keep my attention, no matter how hard I’d try to focus, I would eventually drift off. I see those same frustrations in him. He is very bright and talented and ready for the world to keep up with him, not vice versa.

At a young age, John took to dancing. I remember, the first time I saw him on stage, I was amazed. He had such a great stage presence. He didn’t look nervous at all, he was completely comfortable up there. He left dancing a year or so ago and is now into karate and every time I check, he’s got a new belt or two.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve watched him quickly grow up and turn into his own person, which is odd for me when I think that he was born 1 month before I graduated high school. What makes it worse is that Matt and I just recently gave him his first car - I’m not old enough to do that and he’s not old enough to drive. Right?

I’m very proud of all my brothers. They’ve all had their own bumps in the road and troubles, but they’ve overcome, learned from it and moved on. They are all very different from each other but they are all wonderful brothers to have. I’ve watched them grow up from boys to men (not to be confused with the boy band) and I couldn’t be more proud to have them as brothers.

Tid-Bits #2

Random comment heard today as I perused dresses at JCPenny's:

Woman to her Friend: "You gotta hold 'em like you hold an Ox".

My eyes got THIS BIG and I thought, WOW! I heard that all wrong. Then she said it again and it was exactly what I heard. I had to leave the area for fear of demonstration and I was starting to laugh...nervously.
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Why didn't any of you remind me to shop for dresses for the honeymoon? Huh? I completely forgot about clothes for the honeymoon with all the last minute wedding stuff going on. I'll have to raid Sarah's closet or she will be forced to go frantic shopping with me a few days before the wedding.

Yes, I know I'm leaving for Italy a full week after the wedding. You have obviously not taken into account that I am coming back to Virginia to work my 4 over night shifts then flying back to Florida 1 day before we leave for Italy.

Yes. I will be a very tired little wifey, probably cranky and all bossy too. (Consider yourself warned, Honey!)
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On the clothing note, I've tried on a few jeans/pants that wouldn't button - well not even remotely comfortably anyway - and they FIT! COMFORTABLY!! Somehow, against all odds, I've actually found a diet that is healthy and working. WOOT! I just wish I had found it sooner! O-well, I'll take what I can get!

Now lets just hope Mom has time to take in my dress this much. Last time I tried it on --um two weeks ago -- it was already loose, I know it's even more so now.
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I've noticed that walking the local park trails is fantastic for the ol' back-end. The hills aren't steep but they are a steady looooong incline. By the time I get to the top, my gluteus maximus is begging for a break. I've never had this experience in Florida - it's so flat there.

(SEE! I told you I would try to say something positive about Virginia!)
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I'm packing up to move in to Sarah's house for the next couple of months and I've decided I've brought entirely too many clothes. I normally don't pack this much but how do you decide what/what not to bring when you 1) are going to be living in two different states for several months, 2) are starting a new job and have no idea what to wear 3) don't understand the weather in the new state and 4) have this wedding/honeymoon thing going on.

I don't think I thought this out very well. No, I know I didn't. I was way to frantic trying to get wedding things done and pack.

I'd take some of it back with me, just to be rid of it and not have to drag it around, but it's already here and it's got to be here sooner or later. Right? The bad thing, by the time we come back from Italy, it should be much warmer here (hope, pray, crossing fingers) and I'll have to bring up some Summer clothes.
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The final countdown has started. I get married in 10 days. Those of you who have known me for years are probably as confused as I am. I swore, absolutely SWORE, I'd never do this. And here I am - getting hitched.

Actually, I remember a conversation in my high school parking lot with Sarah, Jill and Dana (I think). We always knew Dana would be the first to get married, but Sarah said I'd be next since I was so set against it. HA! Out of the 4 of us - I AM the last one standing!
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The job is still going well and I'm still liking the night shifts. Yes, I am a freak!

Old Habits New

Having 4 days off and nothing to do in a new town, I've recently rekindle my love affair with an old habit/hobby of mine.

Yep. Word searches.

When I was a little girl, I would sit on the couch with my Mom for hours and do these. We would either share a puzzle and do it together or sit with our own books and race to see who could do it fastest. I always won, of course.

I randomly picked up one of these books up before I left Florida for the train ride up and the many flights back and forth. I've fallen for them all over again. I just sat on the couch and did 3 hours worth. I could have...should have....been reading a good book instead.

Seems like I have a another habit to break or at least I will need to learn to put my puzzles down for a good reading adventure occassionally.

Morning! or Evening!....Afternoon?

Hello world!

I'm awake. I'm even functioning.

The night shifts aren't as bad as I thought they'd be. Actually, they've turned out to be a good thing. Nights are slower and the techs that I am working with have time to train me on the machines that will eventually be 'mine'. They call me their engineer - which I think is funny - but it is exactly what I am. I will be (after they finish stuffing my brain with stuff) their engineer.

The worst part about the night shift is not feeling like there is a break between the times that I have to go back to work. I work 12 hours, go home and go directly to bed, then I get up with just enough time to eat dinner, shower, dress and get out the door for another shift. The upside, 3 or 4 days off (depending on the week) in a row. Which is why I'm in Florida, dethawing, right now.

I shouldn't complain so much about Virginia. I know, without a doubt, that this was the right decision and we will adjust to the differences between the two states. I'm just so home sick. It would be so much easier if Matt was able to come up with me, but again, him staying here was also the right decision. Actually, it was the only decision - this is the way it has to be right now. I promise, once I and we get settled, I won't be so fussy.

Actually, I'm going to do my very best to be more positive about this whole thing from this moment on. Not only for your sakes, but for my peace of mind - and for Matt. Poor thing - he has to put up with me more than you guys do!

And did I tell you? We get married in 3 weeks. 3! Three! Tres!
HOLY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, BATMAN!!!
It seems like just yesterday we were talking about cakes and such.

Lately, a lot of people are asking both of us if we're getting nervous and no, we're not. We feel the same about this now as we did 9 months ago. It's time and it's right. If we were nervous about this, we wouldn't be doing it. We've been together for so long - I can't imagine any real change. And yes, I know, everyone says it's SO different. I'll let you know what I think about the differences when we get there!

That's it for now. I'm going out to enjoy the warm, sunny Florida weather while I'm here.

Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight

Tonight, I will do my best to stay up as late as I possibly can. Tomorrow evening I start my first 12 hour night shift. I'm looking forward to it and a bit hesitant at the same time. I'm finally going to start learning my job and getting my "hands dirty", but HOLY! 12 hours over night. I start my shift at 6:30pm and get off at 7am - hopefully I won't fall asleep on the job.

On the upside, I leave Saturday morning (immediately after my 12 hour shift) for HOME! Warm, toasty, humid, air not so thin home. I'm so looking forward to being warm again. I have never hurt so bad for so long in all my life. My hands stay cold and blue and just barely bending my knuckles is extremely painful - stupid Raynauds. And my lower back is stiff and cranky. Sigh. I really hope I like this job, I'm not digging the weather so far.

Of course, I can't wait to see Matt. I miss him so much - and the Critter Crew. I never realized how much I'd miss just having him around to pester, pick on and giggle with. The plan is to pick up my dress from the cleaners on Saturday afternoon and drive straight to Ft. Myers so my Mother can finish working on it (just minor touch ups). We will stay overnight and leave Sunday afternoon for an evening meeting with the wedding coordinator and owner of the wedding site. We will have dinner with Matts parents on Monday and I will be back on a plan Tuesday evening. Yes, it will be a very busy few days, but I'll be home and warm.

Virginia isn't all bad, I've enjoyed my early evening walks through the parks here. It's a change of scenary and a bit more challenging with the hills. I've learned to bundle up with gloves and a hat, especially when the wind is whipping around (with the sole intention of making me miserable) and I'm even becoming accustomed to the strange looks I get from the natives. Apparently, they think this is Spring-time and are out running the trails in shorts and short-sleeve shirts. Nutcases! This morning, the weather man said 30 degrees - that does NOT feel very Springy to me.

Anyway, I have no idea when I'll be coherent again, so if you don't hear from me for a while, I'll either be sleeping or wandering around in a zombie like state. Just prop me in a corner if you find me fallen over someplace.

Happy Easter Everybody!

Yup, it's a hay bale Easter Bunny.

I was driving around today, exploring again when I came upon this. This is definately something I'd never see in Florida - and I'm not quite sure how I feel about seeing it here. Although, it is kind of cute, isn't it?

Letter from a Florida Girl

Dear Mr. Weatherman,
If the temperature outside is actually XX degrees, but it feels like "something much colder" degrees, lets just call it what it feels like. Here's why:

1. That’s what I'm going to be feeling and whining about anyway
2. It makes it much easier for me to work up a good whine before I leave the house when I know what it actually FEELS LIKE out there.
3. It helps me to not step outside without a proper coat, which in turn
4. helps me not to offend the neighbors when I loudly curse you for telling me the actual and not the feels like temperature.

Let us just call a spade, a spade – shall we?

You could also throw in that the wind is whipping around with the sole intention of making me miserable.

Thank you!
(A very cold) Florida Girl

Feelin' the Love

You guys should go visit Sarah's post here and see some really funny pictures of us through the years, including some high school photos. It verifies that we are really this old. Although, I'll never admit it and I will always refuse to act my age - whatever "acting my age" is supposed to be!

As for the job, everything is moving right along. Nothing really exciting to report. The first three days are orientation and seem to last forever - as every orientation does. I have a lot of training classes to take and a lot of catching up and learning to do. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Or maybe this is over excitment. I'm not sure.

The first month, beginning next Wednesday, I will be pulling 12 hour shifts over night with a senior team in order to help me get up to speed as soon as possible. I'm not sure how I'll do on an over night shift, but I'll do whatever it takes to get where I need to be for this job. With any luck, I will learn quickly and be able to start my normal 8 hour "1st shift" (8a-5p) when I come back from our honeymoon.
(Mmmmm...Hon-ey-moooooooonn...Squeek!)

Don't laugh too hard at the pictures - we were only whipper-snappers!