Sweet memories

Today's post is a shout-out to Nicole and Matt on the week of their first anniversary. I will always remember their wedding as a day of sweet and imperfect joy. They overcame the challenges of a two-year-long engagement and many other wedding-day snafus and ended up with an unforgettable November celebration. I will always remember: sipping on hazelnut lattes at the hair salon in the early morning, the joyful, tearful toasts at the rehearsal dinner, the way she sparkled in her couture beaded gown as I've never seen her before, and laughing and dancing with my oldest friends to "Shout" at the reception. But the sentiment I think I will always cherish most is the memory of Nicole's steadfast and overwhelming sense of calm and presence of mind as a bride. She never wavered that day. She was her normal, happy self. And her surety and peace at marrying Matt calmed all around her. I love her dearly. Happy one-year, one day late!

It's all coming together now...

Here's a peek at the way inspirations are becoming realities for the big day. After all of the mind-changing, it seems like the big picture will be pretty, simple, and romantic. I'm starting to see it instead of have nightmares about it: pies, damask table runners, the blue ball jars, navy dresses, peach and orange accents, all accented by laughter and dancing! Paper products and other small details are the next step, so I'm starting to brainstorm.

T-minus 160-some days and counting!

Heartbreaker

Here’s the story: A big black lab showed up at the concrete shop on Monday and was almost hit a few times on the highway. My future husband (a.k.a the Dog Whisperer ) didn't want it to be hurt or hit, especially after said dog sat and shook and did other pet-like things. So he took it home. We called the Humane Society and they said that they'd been getting calls about this dog for three weeks; there was an ad on the paper and a notice online that a black lab dog had been found with no responses. Given the fact that Patrick is smitten with this adorable creature, I think it's safe to say big-black-dog is ours.

We've been talking about getting a puppy for a while now, but life keeps getting in the way. Apparently God had other plans, because he delivered an obedient, house-trained, well mannered, and sweet dog to our doorstep. He has huge paws and lots of puppy fat around his little jowls and neck.

Now, without futher ado I introduce Breaker, the big black lab…the newest member of our home. We named him “breaker” as in “jail Breaker” because he’s been on the run. And since I didn't grow up with pets, I'm sure you'll soon know him well. This heart-"Breaker" is sure to be the subject of many future "cohabitation" posts. ;)

Fun fixes

Since it's Friday and I haven't posted for a while, I thought I'd share this Web site with you. Miss Oops (http://www.missoops.com/) carries hilarious and suprisingly functional stuff for weddings and for everyday life. Some stuff reminds me of SPANX, other items made me go, "Ah-ha! I've always wanted something that would fix that." Above is the "Boob Tube" (ha!) which is an instant-fix when the girls want to put on a show in your favorite v-neck sweater. I've always wanted something that could the cleve' in check for the office. So clever! Enjoy!

Bridezilla attacks!

Everyone has heard of a “bridezilla.” The crazed bride who wants things a perfect, certain way for eight hours of her life no-matter-what-for-goodness-sakes. Or the panicked woman barking orders, making strange demands, complaining about every person/thing/decision in her path. And I would venture to guess that most brides (present and past) vowed never to behave in such a manner. I am one of those who disavowed the monster. Lately, though, it seems like I am on edge, emotional, distracted, and hyper-sensitive about, well, pretty much everything. I am beginning to feel like the beast, rather than the beauty.

Take it for what it is (which is rationalizing irrational behavior), but I empathize with those brides who've gone before me who may have teetered on the edge of sanity. You see, right now in my life everything I am doing, everything happening in my life -- from grocery shopping to home decorating, to choosing bouquet flowers and rehearsal dinner locations -- seems to be connected to or affected by the fact that in 170-some days I'll be a wife and we'll be a married couple. That's a lot to process. There are many details, reception/cemony-related and little life details like name changes, job changes, merging routines.

In the midst of this HUGE thing, it's hard to remember that others are not impacted in the same way by your life event. No bride needs a swarovski-crystal-encrusted, monogrammed aisle runner, a la Platinum Weddings. The world does not stop turning and life does not stop happening, and as a bride I must remember that.

BUT, I am firm in my belief that a wedding and all of the events surrounding it are enough to make a gal's head spin a little, to make her do silly things, forget, overreact, procrastinate, etc. And I think that, within reason, us brides should get a little bit of a benefit of the doubt when it comes to emotions. And I guess I have to afford myself that break, too, by remembering to not forget about other things, other events, other lives in the middle of the craziness.

*I found the hilarious illustration on the Web, but I have no idea where it originated!