baby brain

My husband will probably pee his pants when he reads this post. As will my mom. But I have a feeling that they will both be peeing their pants for separate reasons -- anxiety vs. excitement. Guess who is who ;)

Let me preface by saying my apologies for not blogging in a while. Apparently when schedules get packed and things start building up -- you know, the time when I would have the most stuff to blog about -- I get writers block and can't get it all out. It's like I have this fear of forgetting to mention something, so rather than try to recap every single stinkin' detail of my little life, I'd rather devote entire posts to singular events or funny stories or little quips. Hence why I did not post any leading up to Christmas events, or any day of Christmas events, or any recapping Christmas events. Too much to divulge. Not enough time to divulge it all.

Moving on to the reason for this post.

I have serious. baby. brain.

Three days ago I read a blog (since I blog stalk people that I don't know) where a girl who had just recently gotten married this past spring or summer, just found out she was pregnant.

That very night I had a long and very vivid dream about being pregnant. Yes - I was pregnant. I was ecstatic. Todd was ecstatic. My whole family was ecstatic. His whole family was ecstatic -- you get the picture, everyone was ecstatic. In my dream, I LOVED being pregnant. So much so that when I woke up, I was sad that I wasn't pregnant.

Last night all I kept seeing on TV were commercials and programs featuring babies and pregnant women. My mom called me to tell me that my Gramma had exciting news and I should call her to find out. Gramma had her bone scan for her metastasized breast cancer last week, and I knew that I was calling her to find out that the results were good news, but my Grampa picked up the phone and when I said "I hear Gramma has good news!" he responded with "yes! Your Grandmother is pregnant". I knew he was joking (which by the way was HILARIOUS), but it just added to the pile of pregnancy overload that I've been on lately.

So today I was sharing with someone that I had recently been having pregnancy dreams and she told me that it was a sign that my biological clock is ticking.

Really?? We've only been married for 5 months! Why doesn't the biological clock sync up with the marriage clock and work out a sweet equation to give me the precise time that I should get pregnant at? Because while I keep telling myself we want to wait and we want to have a baby at the right time, is there every really a truly "right time"?

Don't get me wrong -- I'm the first to frown at the thought of stretch marks, size 42F boobs, and a huge ass needle being stuck in my spine to numb me from the waist down. None of that sounds glamorous or remotely enjoyable to me.

But a baby does.

Over Christmas I jokingly told Todd's mom that I semi wanted to fast forward through the baby thing and see Todd with grand kids because I think he'll be a wonderful grandfather. But then I thought to myself "shoot, my Dad is going to be an awesome grandfather!" Hot damn, our kids are going to be spoiled completely rotten by my parents, Todd's parents, and all of our friends!

Maybe the saying really will be true to form...and when the time is right...I'll just know.

In the meantime, I think I'll just stick to my pregnancy dreams. At least they're much less expensive!

Feelin' kinda random.

**There is no better feeling than coming home at the end of a very long day, and your dog, who has been in her crate all day and hasn't peed/pooped or eaten anything since 9:00am, wants nothing more than to lick your face and sit in your lap. Dogs truly are the definition of unconditional love.

**I missed the Jersey Shore last night. Feels pretty lame that at 9:30pm I said to myself "self, let's just take a 30 minute nap until Jersey Shore comes on." I woke up at about 10:45pm when Todd called to say he was on his way home. At that point I couldn't start watching The Situation/Sammie/Ronnie drama, or the Snookie hair pouf. So I went back to sleep. Todd got home around midnight and I couldn't even walk up the stairs. But thanks to my 8.5 hours of sleep, I feel pretty energized this morning!

**McDonald's $1.00 sausage burritos are the best breakfast ever invented. My thighs disagree.

**We have tons of fun and exciting weekend plans. Lunch with the Cutler's tomorrow (at one of my all time fave places, and the place that pretty much jump started several major turning points in my life -- my job, and my Todd) Red Robin. I can taste the ranch dressing already. (again, my thighs are frowning). Then tomorrow night is the Progressive Appetizer Neighborhood Night on my parents street. If it snows too much, we won't be able to go. Last night on the phone I optimistically (read: stupidly) said to my mom "will it be cancelled if it snows??" My mom said "no...we all live in the neighborhood...you'd be the only ones driving..." DOH! Then on Sunday, Mom and I are supposed to go to brunch at T's restaurant, followed by a mother-daughter date to see the Rockettes. I couldn't be more excited! But I'm seriously going to be shaking my fists in rage at mother nature if we get too much snow to continue with our weekend plans. Thank God for 4 wheel drive. Hopefully Todd's TrailBlazer can get us around on Saturday, and then Daddy's Tahoe on Sunday. (silent prayers)

**Everything at New York & Co. is currently 50% off. Last night I popped in on my way home to see if they had anything good, and as I was browsing the jewelry section, a sweet lady whispered to me "I was just at the Landmark mall NY&Co. and everything there is 60% off. They're going out of business. I called all my girlfriends in Florida and Georgia and bought them up some good stuff!" I thought the tip was super sweet...but didn't venture over there because Landmark mall in the dark is sketttttttchy. So I went home instead.

**I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. Think tonight I'll have to finish because if it snows the rest of the weekend, I'm up poop creek without a paddle...or rather up a frozen street with a teeny car that hates bad weather.

**Todd's working tonight, so if anybody out there (read: anybody I know, like, and want to spend time with -- so no skeezes or strangers please) wants to go to dinner and shopping with me tonight, I'd be pleased to have the company.

**TGIF. Three days of work next week, four days off, three days of work the following week, and another four days off. WOO HOO!

Christmas torture

I received the following email this morning:

To: Wifey
From: Hubs

VERY IMPORTANT- I have a package coming today. Yes, it is for you. But please don't look at it. You'll only ruin your own surprise if you do.

love you honey :)

Since Todd has had to work every single night this week, naturally I will be the one receiving said package when I get home this evening.

And considering I am uber nosy, it's going to take everything I have to not peek at the return address label to see where the package is from.

I did have to giggle at the fact that he sent me this email in the first place. He knows all too well that if he hadn't told me not to open this package, I probably would've ripped into it before I even had the front door unlocked.

This is sheer Christmas torture.

Dear Husband,

I just wanted to let you know that I miss you. Ever since you started your new job, we have been two ships passing in the night. Or maybe more like two ships passing out and passing gas in the night (but I hear that's fairly standard for married folks).

While I was in the shower this morning, pressing my forehead against the wall, trying to salvage a few extra moments of fake sleep (you know you do it too), a picture of last night flashed through my mind and I honestly could not remember if I fell asleep on the couch while waiting for you to get home, or if I had in fact gone up to bed and fallen asleep while watching Bride Wars for the umpteenth time, anticipating your arrival. I vaguely remember Whinnie barking (and possibly peeing?) in excitement when you opened the bedroom door. And I think I asked you if you had been home for a while, or if you had just gotten home at that moment. But in all actuality, I have no idea if those things truly happened, or if I dreamt them.

While I greatly appreciate that you are makin' the bacon (which I am contentedly spending on Christmas gifts), I miss our evenings of snuggling up on the couch to watch countless reruns of Numb3rs. I miss our gourmet hamburger helper meals. I miss how Whinnie used to sleep all evening because she had been so busy curiously following you from room to room all day. And just last night, our DVR told me we had better watch the 3 recorded episodes of Flash Forward that it is storing before it deletes them forever.

I know this will pass. Eventually things will calm down again and we'll be on better matching schedules. I just want you to know that now that you are back to work, while our checking and savings accounts appreciate what you're doing, as do our unborn children (oh sorry, that slipped out), I sort of miss you being jobless. Solely in a totally selfish IWantToSeeMyHusbandEveryFreeMinuteOfEveryDay sort of way.

I am so very proud of you and all that you do. Temporary job, or permanent career, I'm a lucky girl to have someone who so willingly wants to support me, and our future babies (sorry, that just keeps slipping out). And I would not want you to quit working just to satisfy my selfish needs (because baby has some selfish shopping and bill paying needs too, wink wink).

BUT DAMMIT -- This Friday night we're ordering Chinese food and watching 4 hours of DVR'd TV while we snuggle on the couch and Whinnie tries to stuff toys in your mouth -- because, DAMMIT -- I miss you.

Thank you for everything you do, love of my life!

I love you with all my heart,
Wifey

"What in the world??" or "My Butt-ler"

I was just going through some old emails that my mom had sent me, and found this little gem that she took of Todd and I at my brother's wedding (which happened at the beginning of October...yes, I never posted a recap about that...but I never posted a recap of my own wedding, so cut me a little slack).

I enjoy this photo for so many reasons, but I think my favorite part is the way Todd looks, dressed in his tux, so carefully holding his cup & saucer, as if he were my butler giving me a naughty pat on the behind for not appreciating his coffee service.

What makes it even better is the fact that when my mom emailed me this picture, she didn't write anything to accompany the picture -- just a subject that read: "What in the world??"

A lot of Guido's...a little awkward

Last night MTV premiered "Jersey Shore" -- a real-world-esque depiction of Guido's and Guidette's (yeah, I'm pretty sure MTV made up that word) sardined together in a house on the Jersey Shore for a summer. The premiere was a full 2 hours, packed with hair gel, terrible grammar, fake orange tans, lots of disgusting hook-ups, ridiculous muscles, g-strings, and several sets of implants. Seriously, it was horrendous. I. Could. Not. Stop. Watching. It was fascinating.

Todd worked a double yesterday and did not get home until about 11:45pm. With only 15 minutes left in the 2 hour premiere, you would think that I would focus my attention on my husband whom I have seen for a total of about 40 minutes all week. But what did I do?

I paused the DVR. Talked to Todd about his day for approximately 10 minutes. And then said "Sorry, I have to finish watching this before I go to bed." And then immediately followed that comment up with "but I swear I'm not really into it...it's just so disturbing, I have to watch!"

So as he (agonizingly) watched the last 15 minutes with me, all Todd could say was "this show is so awkward."

No, what's really awkward is that I can't wait until next weeks episode.

LOVE that Nu Joisy shore!

Black Socks

Last night I got to see Todd for about 35 minutes. As in we were both awake, sitting on the couch, watching (for the third night in a row) the tail end of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (only the best Christmas movie ever), and in between quoting to each other "WHY IS THE CARPET ALL WET, TODD?!" "I don't KNOW, Margo!" (our favorite duet quote from the movie), we had this conversation:

Me: What do you want for Christmas, I need a list.

T: Honey, we've been married for four months now. If you don't know what I want for Christmas by now, we're in trouble.

Me: Seriously? How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me! Tell me what you want for Christmas!!

T: Well, I really want some black socks... (insert huge grin creeping up on Todd's face, here)

So I socked him in the shoulder.

Some body's been reading my blog...

Christmas wish list

I know some of my family follows my blog...so to make things easy on them...or on my 8 followers who I know so generously wish to donate to making my Christmas wishes come true, I am posting the top 10 items on my Christmas wish list here. No worries -- you can thank me later.


Also - no poking fun. Something that the "things that happen when you get older" handbook doesn't tell you, is that as you get older, your Christmas wish list gets lamer. Like super boring.


So without further ado:


1) Jewelry cleaner. Like a really good kind. That actually makes your jewelry shinier, not just wet.

2) A pie spatula/server. Boring, I know. But I realized at our Halloween Party, when someone wanted a piece of the Cutler's apple pie, that I had no way for them to remove said piece from the whole pie. Enter the need for a pie spatula/server.

3) A pizza cutter. We currently have one. But I bought it 3 years ago. From the dollar store. Needless to say, it's not exactly sharp anymore. Truth be told, it may never have been sharp to begin with.

4) OXO Corn Cob Holders. We registered for 4 sets. Which means 4 people can eat corn on the cob at one time. Which is completely un-useful when you have your family of 8 over. And they all like to eat corn on the cob. At the same time. (Sorry about those burnt fingers, Grampa).

5) Black socks. Wow this list really DOES keep getting lamer. I own three pairs of black tights. I own nearly 50 pairs of white socks. I own about 15-20 pairs of dress socks...and they ALL have patterns on them. I'd like 2 or 3 pairs of plain black dress socks. Preferably with some weight to them. I don't want them to look like knee-high black pantie hose. Ew.

6) A Brown North Face Fleece. If this is not possible, I will settle for a brown Columbia fleece (most likely purchasable from Kohl's...but I have not looked). I live in my black and gray fleece zip-ups...but let's be serious -- if I want to wear my brown Uggs, you KNOW I can't roll out of my house in them wearing my black fleece. Fashion faux pas!

7) A Roomba. Specifically the nicest Roomba on the market. However, I have been carefully re-thinking this item ever since my Grampa told me "eh, it's not worth it. they're junk. they're really only neat to look at." (PS - my mom bought my Grampa his Roomba. For Christmas no less. I'd hate to hear what he thinks about the stupid bean-bag shoulder lamp I gave him for Christmas two years ago. Gotta love him!)

8) Gift cards to the following places: My hair salon; My nail salon; Massage Envy or Red Door Spa (only for a 90 minute massage); the movie theatre; any nice restaurants; Target; Giant; Ann Taylor Loft; Old Navy; or Wal-Mart (specifically to buy two pieces of furniture that Todd and I like. If you'd rather buy the furniture, I'll gladly send you pictures/details. I took notes on my blackberry. You know, in hopes of receiving said furniture for Christmas)

9) A new collar & leash for Whinnie. Technically this is on her wish list. But she lacks opposable thumbs and asked that I leave her requests here. She'd also appreciate a bag of anything bacon or peanut butter flavored. Her mom would appreciate any toys that do NOT squeak incessantly. A gift certificate to Bark N' Bubbles for a hair trim would be an added bonus.

10) A Garmin. This is just a super wishful item. Mainly because Todd got a job in DC, and I'd like to go visit him sometime. And well, we all know that I'm entirely directionally challenged. I suppose instead of a Garmin, I'd take pre-printed mapquest directions to Todd's place of employment. That would probably suffice.

There you have it -- my top 10 Christmas wish list items.

Off to do something good so I'm not put on the naughty list!

Thankful...Monday?

I missed Thankful Thursday...what with it being Thanksgiving and all -- which meant therefore, that I was not in front of the computer.

So I will post what I am most thankful for today, because I'm not just thankful for these things on Thanksgiving, but all year round.

• My amazing husband.
• My incredible parents.
• My hilarious brother.
• My sweet sister-in-law.
• My adorable grandparents.
• My wonderful extended family.
• My caring in-laws.
• My love-muffin puppy.
• My fantastic friends.
• My health.
• My house.
• My job.

There are so many other little things that I am thankful for, but these are the things I couldn't make it through life without. (Well, these things, and food/water/air...but you get my drift).

So to all of you who fit the list -- Thank you. For being you, and making me, me.

a man's perspective...

I'm an infrequent hair washer. Yup, I said it. I typically wash my hair 3-4 times a week. Having very thick, wavy hair, I can get away with a non-wash day in between. Plus with the invention of Psssst (I get it at CVS), the best dry shampoo on the market, it seems quite difficult to tell when my hair has been freshly washed and when it hasn't.

Now, don't freak out...I ALWAYS shower. My morning shower wakes me up. But truthfully, I live in fear that while I'm in the shower one morning, donning my sexy, plastic, flowered shower cap that makes me look like an 87 year old woman going for a walk in the rain, that Todd will sleepily stumble into the bathroom, see the shower cap, panic, and run screaming down the street in his pajamas. But I digress.

Yesterday morning I got up extra early. I put on my black pants suit, and a new green silk blouse that I've had hanging in my closet (with tags mind you) for almost 8 months. I washed, blow dried, and curled my hair to complete the outfit. I felt business like -- but I was particularly very proud of my clean, curled hair. It had been so long since the curling iron had seen the light of day, and not just the inside of my messy bathroom cabinet.

My hair stayed curled all day long, and I was particularly proud of the new routine I figured out for getting the curl to stay on freshly washed hair. Curl always seems to hold better on dirty hair. (yes, I did wake up early again today to wash and curl my hair, but that's besides the point).

As soon as I walked in the door from work at 6:00pm, my adorable hubby, who was already in prime kitchen positioning making a delicious dinner for two, commented "you look very nice today honey!"

I swooned at his sweet compliment and said "and look at my hair! It's still curly!"

His response: "wow honey! It looks really great for not washing it!"

my heart? on the floor.

Apparently I could have cut the extra 25 minutes of washing & blow-drying from my morning routine.

Now I understand why he DOESN'T understand why it takes me an hour to get ready to go anywhere.

Don't worry honey, that extra 20 minutes in my prep routine? That's just me washing and blow-drying my hair...

Obsess much?

Last night I had some strange -- and incredibly scary -- dreams about wolves & coyotes.

I kept dreaming that wolves were trying to get in our house. My entire family was at my parents house (including Whinnie of course) and in my dream we kept hearing reports on the news that wolves were prowling the neighborhood. It was late in the evening -- dark outside -- but for some reason we had all of the doors and windows open...I guess to let the breeze in. Anyway, when we heard the reports I scooped up Whinnie and ran up to my old bedroom in my parents house, closed all of the doors and windows and held her against my chest as tightly as I could. But no matter what I did to run away, everywhere I turned, there was another open door or window, with a wolf right outside (showing its gnarly bared teeth and foaming at the mouth) creeping closer and closer to the door.

It was beyond scary.

Fortunately I woke up before any of the wolves got in the house or anywhere near Whinnie and I. But I woke up in a cold sweat, panicked as to Whinnie's where-abouts. No worries, she was sleeping on top of my pillow, right above my head. (That's right, she climbs ON my head at night to push me out of the way so she can drift off to dreamland on MY pillow. I enjoy it more when she does this to Todd.)

I'm pretty sure I had this dream because ever since I found out about the coyote that snatched up Jessica Simpson's little dog Daisy (so heartbreaking), I have been petrified that when I walk Whinnie at night, there must be 10-15 wolves on the border of the woods, waiting to pounce on us and steal my puppy.

I'd like to find a dream book and figure out what dreaming about wolves means...but I'm pretty sure I already know the answer. What does it all mean?

Clearly I'm obsessed with my dog.

Not singing (OR pooping!) in the rain...

I don't entirely mind the rain. I enjoy cuddling up on the couch next to the fireplace, watching Numb3rs on DVR all day while it pitter-patters outside. (that was my day off yesterday) But I do mind the fact that my dog minds the rain.

Only Whinnie can eat two full bowls of dog food, a handful of doggy treats, a few bites of string cheese, several potato chips (good GOD why isn't our dog a heifer?), and a few pieces of ham from Todd's sandwich, and NOT. ONCE. NEED. TO. POOP.

You're probably thinking "hmm, a dog that doesn't need to poop...sounds good to me". And you'd be right. If said dog wasn't ALSO passing gas every 3 minutes like she was cross-bred with a skunk. And if said dog wasn't ALSO asking to go outside every 30 minutes by hopping off the couch and standing in front of the TV barking at you like you have a squirrel sitting on your head.

Poor whinster pup did not go #2 all day yesterday. Not because she was constipated (TMI, I know)...not because I didn't take her out (I stood in the rain with her 7 times...SEVEN...no poop produced)...and not because she didn't need to go. It was solely because when it's raining and the ground is saturated, she simply can not fathom squatting long enough to go #2 for fear of getting a wet rear-end. Each time we went out, she quickly peed, shook from head to tail to try and fend off the rain, and then turned around and high-tailed it back up to our front door to get in out of the cold.

I haven't called Todd yet to inquire as to her bowel movements today, but I'm definitely concerned about whether or not she's gone yet. And the more I think about calling him to ask, the more I think about how much closer we're getting to parenthood. Because I hear when you have a baby, your daily conversations go from "what'd you do today? what'd you have for lunch? etc. etc." to "how many times did the baby poop today? what color was it? solid or soft? etc. etc."

I've heard people say before "if you want to see if you and your mate are ready for a baby, try raising a puppy first." Well even though she's almost 4, considering how worried we get about Whinnie's bowel situations, I'd say we're well on our way to being good parents. Even if it is just parenting a dog.

I hope you're still holding your breath

because I fully intend to finish my walk down the aisle, reception, and if you're REALLY lucky, honeymoon recaps by the end of this week. Hooray!

Then I fully intend to publish all of my wedding blogs into a book with a program I read about online. (That's exactly what it is: a program to turn your blogs into a book...you know, for self keeping...like a diary...but whatever).

I can hardly wait for the nationally syndicated reviews of my fabulous book. I'm already imagining the 2 thumbs up endorsement that my mother will give me to be printed on the back cover.

Move over Hemingway...watch out Salinger...take a back seat J.K. Rowling.

New York Times best seller list, HERE I COME!

Sorry that you had to find out on the internet hubby...

...but I may or may not have (read: definitely) visited Old Navy on my lunch break today.

And I may or may not have (read: definitely) picked up a cute gray sweater dress, navy jersey dress and new pair of gray tights.*

BUT in my total defense:

1. I needed new tights. The two dresses are perfect compliments to said tights.

2. I saved 30% on all of the above items, each individually, for having an ON coupon.

3. They were also selling college team t-shirts, so I may or may not have (read: definitely) picked up two matching Michigan shirts (one for you dear, one for me) because I know how much you: a. love anything Michigan; b. love anything Michigan on me; and c. love wearing matching Michigan clothes with me on game day. Oh wait, you don't actually like c.?

4. I haven't been shopping in FOR-EV-ER (at least that's what it feels like. And no, I do not think wal-mart, CVS, the grocery store, and Jo-Ann fabrics count as shopping)

5. I did it completely out of love -- buying new clothes to look good, so that you continue to think I'm beautiful. Crucial, right?!

ok, so maybe #5 was a bit of a stretch. OK OK so maybe they were ALL a bit of a stretch (minus the 30% off each item - TOTALLY a good deal. And minus the Michigan shirts...because anything Michigan flies in our house). But after staying at work until 7:00pm tonight, having had a little retail therapy on my lunch break today definitely made the day that much easier to swallow. So thank you hubs (in advance) for understanding my need to shop -- and my love of a good bargain.

*I wanted to post pictures of my purchases, but sadly could only find a picture of the navy blue jersey dress I bought. WHICH btw I got at a steal...regularly $15 (cheap to start) on clearance for $9.99, less 30% -- I got the dress for around $7.00 -- bargain!

3 days ago...

...I meant to make a special post.

As of 3 days ago (or Monday if you will) Todd and I had officially been married for 100 days! Now we have been married for 103, which is still exciting, but I had been anticipating that big round number of 100 ever since I stalked our knot.com page and saw we had been married for 95 days...so I started counting down to 100, and then forgot, and well, here we are 103 days in.

So, here is my short & sweet "State of the Union" (ha) address of our first "100 days":

First of all: Best 103 days of my life so far. Married life is super fun!

Some of the memorable things we've done as husband & wife in these first 103 days (in no particular order) include:

• been to the Dominican Republic
• watched my brother get married
• had our first apple picking adventure
• crashed several neighborhood nights
• watched countless Michigan games (and other sporting events)
• developed a common love for Numb3rs and Flash Forward
• cooked innumerable breakfasts, lunches & dinners together
• thrown our first and last Halloween Party
• hosted several college football parties
• bought a new(er) washer & dryer
• celebrated my 27th birthday
• played in (I watched) numerous Moose Knuckles softball games
• dealt with the loss of a job
• painted a bathroom
• decided to hold off on painting any other rooms for a loooong time
• watched our circle of friends grow, as our personal (pre-married) friends became friends with each other
• bought a big TV for the living room
• completed Todd's M-Den (man cave/basement)
• joined our bank accounts, insurance policies, and all other legal aspects
• started the "when to have a baby" discussions (ok, maybe only I have done this)
• realized that we truly do compliment and complete each other
• fallen further in love with our little Whinnie
• fallen further in love with each other
• furthered not just our love and devotion for each other, but strengthened our friendship

I could go on and on, but this sets a precedence for the next "State of the Union" (ha) address that I will deliver...which probably will be for our 1 year anniversary.

And YES, I know I have to recap the ceremony and reception and honeymoon still. I'm just slow rollin'.

Friday musings.

It's been a tough Friday to say the least.

So to fix it Todd and I are joining the neighborhood night crew at Jason's Deli tonight to celebrate Dad's birthday and enjoy a little free soft-serve ice cream. The ice cream is self-serve, limitless, and comes free with every meal. My idea of the perfect end to a poopy day.

On a separate note, I want to give a shout out to my big brother. Poor guy is super sick with the flu. I hope it's not the swiney. Not because the swine flu is such a bad strain of flu...but mostly for his own protection so that I don't mercilessly oink around him the next time I'm in his presence. So instead, because I love him so much, I'm going to post this hilarious picture of him pouting.

I imagine he's doing a lot of this while laying on the couch and moaning in agony. Good luck to my dear sister in law! Women everywhere are sympathizing with you Marissa, as we all know that taking care of a sick man is similar to caring for a sick child ;). FEEL BETTER BRUDDER!! Love you guys!

And on a final note, tomorrow is the long awaited and completely glorious "First Annual Kalinosky Halloween Bash!" Stay tuned for pictures. Our costumes are pretty phenomenal...because I made them.

Happy Halloweeny!

To Daddy, with love

Happy Birthday to the first man I ever truly loved, and the first man who ever truly loved me. I am proud of all that you have accomplished, and all you continue to accomplish. I am proud of the way you love your family, and particularly the way you love your wife (my wonderful mom) -- unconditionally and wholeheartedly. I am so proud to be your daughter. I am proud of you. I love you more than I can ever tell you!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

xoxo,
your little girl

That's Fine...

We're having our "First Annual Halloween Bash" this Saturday and I couldn't be more excited! Not that I'm really excited about cleaning up all the fake cobwebs we have strewn about the house...but everything else I'm excited about. I'll make sure to post a recap of the party next week. (I know what you're thinking. "she still hasn't even finished recapping the wedding. It'll be 4 months before she posts about Halloween." hmm. good point.)


Anyway, I told Todd "you know that 'first annual' means we have to have this party every year, right?" I'm pretty sure his response was "that's fine." Which brings me to the point of this mini-rant of a post.

"That's fine" tends to be T's response to just about anything I ask him. In most cases, an agreeable husband can be a rare and valuable thing. But in most of our cases, 'it's fine' or 'that's fine' drives me bat-wacky. Pretty much any question I ask Todd -- from "do you want liver for dinner tonight" to "can I spend $500 on a new wardrobe" to "does this make my butt look big" results in a "that's fine" type answer. (Not that I would ever ask any of the above questions. Not even the big butt question. DEFINITELY not that question. Remind me to tell you the story about the 'ice cream and my thighs' story from the first time Todd went to dinner with my family...yeah...he hates when I bring that one up.) I digress...


What I'm saying is that he is so agreeable that even the most ridiculous of questions results in a nonchalant response making me want to kick him in the seat of his pants. Maybe it's just that I'm an overly excited person. For example, if Todd asks me "do you want to have Chipotle for dinner tonight?" I squeal with joy. Or take for instance the time that Todd said I could use our left over Macy's gift cards from our wedding and buy myself a new Coach purse. I debated about it thoroughly -- back and forth -- for about 20 minutes as we walked around Macy's and when he convinced me I should buy it, I practically wet my pants with excitement. In turn I told Todd he could buy himself stuff with the remainder of the gift cards. I'm pretty sure he said "that's fine". And then bought himself socks and underwear. Ok so maybe socks & underwear are light years behind coach purses when it comes to exciting...but come on babe, get excited!!

Now don't get me wrong! I am not complaining about having an agreeable (and adorable mind you) husband. I love that pretty much anything I ask him, he is "ok" with. I love that I can say "I'm wearing sweatpants to your friends party next week" and he'll say "that's fine" (not that I would do that...or would I?). I love that I can tell him "I'm going out for dinner with the girls -- can you feed the dog" and he'll gladly say "that's fine". I'm just askin'...that next time, dear sweet husband...when I say "my hair is dirty today, and I'm going out in public with it just like this"...that instead of saying "that's fine"...maybe you'll actually stop me before I offend innocent onlookers with the rats-nest that is on top of my head.

Oh...and also -- the next time I say "you're spending the next 50+ years of your life stuck with me" maybe give me a little "HELL YEAH!!!" instead of "that's fine". Because to me, spending the next 50+ years of my life with you, will be MORE than fine. :)

It went a little like this...

Today's phone call with my dear husband:

Me: Hi honey, did you get my email?

T: (as reading the email and mocking the sound of my voice) "can I get a $2.99 sub from harris teeter today for lunch..." yes honey, of course you can get a sandwich. Just please don't drive there.

Me: WHY?! What are you implying?!? That I need to WALK to the store and WALK back, so that I can WALK off the calories of the sub I'm about to add to my back side?!?!

T: I just meant so you could save the $2.99 in gas, which you're gonna spend on the sandwich...wow. sensitive much?

whoops! :)

Today I may or may not have...

...hit the snooze button 15 times before rolling over and peeking at the clock through a half open eye to see it blaring 6:52am. I leave the house at 7:00am.

...forgotten to shower. And worn my hair in a messy bun. whatever.

...left the shoes I was planning to wear today on the stairs when I ran out the door. I've been wearing my gray sweater boots all day. Yes Todd, my feet are schweaty today.

...bought myself a bagel from the McDonald's drive thru to remedy my bad start of a morning...and paid for said bagel in all change.

...cried when my boss frustrated me with the "socratic method". I still am not sure what answer he was looking for.

...developed a zit on my face that, while not too red and noticeable, hurts like the dickens.

...played 25+ games of bejeweled blitz on FB. I still can't get out of 8th place, dangit!

...spent 90% of the day daydreaming about finishing our halloween costumes and throwing the greatest halloween bash I've ever attended on Saturday!

...spent the other 5% of my day daydreaming about taco bell. ugh, i need to go to the gym.

Let's face it. I actually did all of these things today. Happy stinkin' monday!

Moose Knucks!

I know, I know -- I'm hereby interupting my sweet recap of my wedding day to announce that tonight is Softball night!

I'm particularly excited because I haven't seen a game in about 3 weeks. The 8th was my brother & Marissa's rehearsal dinner (yup, my brother got married! That's for another blog post though...need more room to share all the fabulous details) and the 15th was rained out, so I haven't been to a game since the 1st. crazy!

6:30pm -- Braddock Park

Go Moose Knuckles!!

Getting ready...getting there...

Now that I have re-entered the "blogosphere", I think it's only fair that I finish what I set out to do -- blog my way down the aisle -- before I begin the next chapter in my endless blog novel of adventures. Trust me, I have plenty of stories to share after just 3 short months of marriage...and yes I've already begun outlining them in both my head and out loud to Todd. Apparently he missed my blog a little too, because he keeps asking if I'm going to post some of the ideas I've shared with him soon. In due time, hubby! In due time!


But before I regale you with my most recent of life, love, and marital quips, I must make it down the aisle!

I left off at the night before the wedding day, having just gone to bed after a fabulous rehearsal/rehearsal dinner.

July 25th, 2009, I woke up around 7:00am. Cranky. Because I hate getting up early...love sleeping in...but I just couldn't stay asleep any longer. Granted I shouldn't have woken up cranky because, hello, it was my wedding day! but chalk it up to wedding day jitters and lack of sleep. Slowly all the girls started to wake up as well, and before long we were all dressed and ready to head to the hair salon...in the fabulous limo mom & daddy rented for the ENTIRE day for us!

We arrived at the hair salon only slightly disheveled looking...and with only two girls (myself and Monica) on the verge of vomiting from carsickness (due to riding backwards in the limo). I'm pretty sure I frowned the entire time I got my hair done, only because I was scrutinizing Mindy's (my hairdresser) every move. That and I was starving. AND we realized we had left my tiara and veil in the hotel room. So Stef & Lori volunteered to take the limo back to the hotel to pick up the hair accoutrement's and swing the limo into the nearest McDonald's to get the cranky bride a bagel. Once they returned, my hair was perfect, and my bagel was devoured, I started smiling again, and the tired, cranky demeanor started to fade.

After we all had our hair done, we piled back into the limo to head back to the hotel, grab everything we needed for the wedding (i.e. my dress...sorta important), and get to the Regency! At the Regency we unloaded all of our stuff into the bridal suite and were swept into the back dining room where we had our own private table lined with pre-set lunch menus specifically for my wedding day...and lots of mimosa's! After lunch we went back into hiding in the bridal suite where we all started getting our make-up done and getting dressed. Todd and I exchanged gifts (well someone brought them to each of us) and thus started the first of many tears of the day. He wrote me the sweetest note (he's not big on written words ;) and gave me a pair of gorgeous diamond earrings -- and a baseball hat in Michigan colors with "Just Married, July 25th, 2009" stitched on it, and my new last name stitched on the side. Little did I know, he also purchased one for himself, which he later donned at the reception...but I'll get there.

Finally it was time to put on THE dress and make this thing official! After much assistance from all 7 of my bridesmaids, and a few embarrassing underwear pictures, I was in the dress...and starting to hyperventilate/cry/pee my pants all at the same time. I wish I could describe what I was feeling in words, but there's just no way. It was the most excitement I've ever felt, combined with the nervousness of being in front of 150 people, combined with thoughts of what is my dad going to think when he sees me? and what will Todd's first reaction be? combined with my heart pounding out of my chest...I just can't describe it, but if I could bottle that feeling and every so often open up that bottle to breathe in the emotion of that exact moment, I would. It was incredible.

I headed out of the bridal suite to find my dad. There's another emotion that's indescribable. Being a daddy's girl your entire life, and suddenly you're standing in front of your father -- the first man you ever truly loved and the first man that ever truly loved you. And now he has to give you to another man. While my heart was so full and happy about my future, at the same time it was breaking for my dad. The little girl in me wanted him to scoop me up and carry me to the car and take me to get a Slurpee and pretend I'd never grown up. But the adult in me -- the adult that he raised me to be -- stood strong, feeling so blessed to have one amazing man love me enough to give me away to a man that he trusted enough to care for me, protect me, and love me the way he has since I was born. Naturally as soon as daddy and I laid eyes on each other, the tears began to flow -- from both of us.

So we hopped in the golf cart to drive up to the ceremony. Dad smiled the whole ride, saying very little to me (I think so he didn't cry more)...I held on to dad the whole ride, saying it was because I was afraid of falling out of the cart (which I kind of was), but mainly because I just needed those last few seconds of holding on to my dad.

We reached the top of the hill, and I looked down through the rows of family and friends and caught Todd's face. The sun was shining right in his face, so I know he could barely see me (in all my white-gown glory) through his squinting eyes, but I could see him...and suddenly my stomach, which had been full of butterflies, settled. I breathed a big sigh of relief. I was ready.

Dad and I started our walk down the aisle...

Oh Taco's.

After yesterday's post, I seem to have friends coming out of the woodworks (even those that are NOT subscribing followers) telling me they've been wondering when I would blog again.

Geez, I'm a good writer.

But I have to start off slow. I fully intend to re-cap the wedding, but work has been uber busy (you can feel me on this one, Kate!!) that when I sneak a quick minute to blog, it's not nearly enough time to put into words (and pictures...OH the pictures!) just how fabulous the wedding was.

So instead I'll inform you that tonight in the Kalinosky household is taco night. I pretty much live for taco night. I think I'd take taco night over a shopping spree if it came down to it.

Hilarious, who am I kidding, I'd take the shopping spree.

Regardless, that should show you just how excited I am about getting out of work, through rush hour traffic, and immediately into my most forgiving elastic waistbanded pants so that I can gorge myself on ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and crispy taco shell goodness.

Happy Hump (ha - makes me giggle every time) and Taco Day!

Correction:

I actually have 8 blog followers. Triumph!

Did you miss me?

I received a phone call today from a very sweet person on the second floor of our office building who recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to the most adorable baby girl -- and might I add, who managed to blog her way through the pregnancy, the birth, the maternity leave, and continues to do so now that she's back at work. Her office and our office work closely together on several things so when I saw her number come up on our caller ID today, I assumed it was a scheduling call. And I was excited to hear from her, since the last time we talked was while the bun in her oven was still cooking (minus a few facebook comments and updates along the way).

The conversation went like this (after a little idle chatter):

Her: "this call is totally un-work related"
Me: "sweet!"
Her: "are you ever going to blog again, or should I delete you from my que?"

I told her (read: begged her) to not delete me with the promise that I would begin blogging very soon. I gave her the scenario that it was much like the build up of anticipation to writing my thank you notes...I was nervous about finding the perfect words to recap such a wonderful event (duh, our wedding), and just thinking about writing about it gave me writer's block/nerves/etc. I explained the internal conversation I had with myself, where I told myself that I would hold off on coming out of blog-hiding until someone inquired about my disappearance from the blogsphere. (Or worse, threatened to stop following me. I only have 5 followers for crying out loud).

So without further ado, and much gratitude to my anonymous (unless she wants to comment on this post and reveal herself and her adorable blog!) friend...

I'm back!

Now to figure out a new blog title...because, well, Sweet Melissa already got married!

Back with the 'almost-married-for-a-month' recaps!

As you all know...WE GOT MARRIED!! Next Tuesday will mark exactly one month since we got married...where does the time go? I swear we were just heading to the rehearsal dinner and all of a sudden we were packing up to come home from the DR...and now we've fallen into our married couple routine, and before you know it we'll be old and gray, holding onto each others walkers as we inch down the hallway of our retirement home to have our 4:00pm dinner with the Schwass' and the Cutler's talking about what a damn good 50 years it's been!



Anyway, let me begin this blog update by announcing to the world (or the 10 people that read my blog) that July 25th, 2009 will forever be the greatest day of my life (at least until I have a baby...which I've made reference to before). But until that time, let it be known that my wedding day was the very best day of my entire 26 and 3/4 years on this earth! The entire day was absolutely perfect and beautiful and beyond my wildest dreams of what I would have imagined the day would be like. Truly the wedding of my dreams -- which I owe partially to my new in-laws and awesome friends/bridal party, largely to my new adorable husband, and mostly to my incredibly amazing parents.

hugging mom :)

hugging dad :)

SO...who's ready for a re-cap?! Here we go....

When we left off, I was heading off for my almost 2 weeks of vacation. I started my vacation that Tuesday evening with a little wine celebration/truly last night of being a single gal with Stef. We stayed up late gossiping, laughing, crying, watching stupid reality TV, drinking too much wine, and trying to wrap our heads around the idea that just 4 days later I would become a wife.

That Wednesday I woke up and had a couple of Red Door Spa appointments (Bless you, Elizabeth Arden for your zen-like relaxation techniques) and took my mom to get a massage (she was tense and stressed about the wedding...I just wanted a massage) at Massage Envy (totally recommend it!)

Thursday mom and I went to lunch with Gramma and Aunt Lauri, and then Aunt Lauri and I spent the afternoon together taking Whinnie to "camp" (aka: boarding at the vet), running last minute errands, and picking up parent gifts. That night Aunt Lauri, Mom and I gathered in the guest room for a "mini-bachelorette" party where Aunt Lauri gave me some adorable gifts, including a beautiful white negligee (that means nightgown...look it up) and a gorgeous Mikimoto Pearl bracelet to wear on my wedding day -- which perfectly matched my Gramma's pearls that I borrowed to wear as well!

Friday we were up super early and all the girls gathered at Mom's house to head to the nail salon! We all got the royal treatment (spa pedicures and manicures) and I made the drastic decision to get acrylic nails (which I actually can't stand, but looked a million times better than my own nails...but have since been removed as I was having a hell of a time trying to remove my contacts with those claws) and in the end mom ended up paying for ALL of the girls mani/pedis -- was that nice of her, or what?! After nails we headed to the hotel for a quaint little bridal luncheon, which was a great spread that, in the midst of their running around like crazy & getting everything ready for the wedding, my parents put together perfectly with sandwiches, salad, shrimp cocktail and lots of prosecco! -- I should mention that while all the girls were being pampered and fed, the boys were all out golfing in Todd's "Shankapotamus Invitational" golf tournament at the Regency. And bless his heart, Todd went hatless (in the scorching sun) all day, per my suggestion, so he didn't have his typical white forehead/red cheeks & chin tan lines :). -- After our bridal luncheon we all headed to the hotel rooms to relax for a short while (about 10 minutes) before getting dressed and ready to head to rehearsal. We anticipated horrendous Friday afternoon traffic on 66, but ended up making it to the Regency in about 15 minutes and were there an hour before the boys started arriving.

Rehearsal started at 4, and it was H-O-T HOT HOT HOT outside. Everyone was dripping sweat...although I'm pretty sure my dad wasn't sweating, just crying (poor guy...it's gotta be tough giving away your little girl) :(. But the rehearsal went really well and we were back out into our cars by 5:00pm and headed to dinner. Rehearsal dinner was at Red Rock Canyon in Chantilly. They put together an awesome menu of salads and entrees for us and everyone's dinner was delicious. Minus the fact that my poor groom, whom I've never seen give up on a meal, ate approximately 2 bites of his crab cake sandwich before declaring himself full. Jay finished Todd's meal for him, and we all chalked it up to pre-wedding butterflies in his stomach ;). After dinner came the speeches and gifts.

(I would like to personally apologize to anyone who attended the dinner because I was so flustered I have no idea what I really said to each person, so most of it came out as "known you long time....love you like family....thanks for being a friend....traveled down the road and back again...." it was totally Golden Girls-esque, but from my heart none-the-less.) Todd and I gave the following gifts:

Ushers -- silver engraved pocket knives

Groomsmen -- silver engraved pocket knives and engraved cuff links

Best Men -- silver engraved pocket knives and personalized pub signs (they were way cool)

Bridesmaids -- Beach buckets with embroidered beach towels, jewelry to wear to the wedding, a few other cutesy inserts. The wineflop! (ask any of my girls...probably best part of the gifts).

Maid of Honor -- Beach bucket above and a Vera Bradley accessory

Mom's -- Engraved silver picture frames

Dad's -- Engraved Beer Mugs (or engraved scotch decanter for Todd's Dad Charlie...he's not a beer guy)

Then the girls presented me with a beautiful scrap book with tons of pictures from my life and they each made their own page of memories...I cried looking through it!

The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were perfect and Todd and I sealed the evening with one last single people's kiss and headed our separate ways for the evening.

Todd and some of his buddies went out for a few drinks and the girls all came back with me to the hotel where we stayed up for a little bit, drinking the leftover prosecco and listening to fabulous 80's music and gossiping until it was time to [attempt] sleep...

Which brings us to...WEDDING DAY!! A blog worthy of it's own post :) ....stay tuned.

Licensed to wed!

Last night Todd taught me to dance. We pushed the coffee table out of the living room and he led me around our hardwood floors waltzing, sky walking, spinning and dipping. I was a mixture of emotions (think verge of happy tears mixed with uncontrollable laughter mixed with holding my breath mixed with stepping on Todd's toes) and it definitely took the title of my favorite experience of wedding planning to date. We had so much fun practicing our moves...thank God Todd spent all those years of his childhood doing junior cotillion and pushing young girls around the dance floor. He's a pro! And seeing as I'm a truly gifted klutz, I need all the help I can get. I can't wait to see if I can remember the "moves" on Saturday...but I know it will be fun regardless...as long as Todd can remember what I asked him: "Pretend to be singing our song to me, but really be counting steps. And push really hard on my back when you're leading so I don't get confused". Totally romantic.

Anyway, this morning we woke up bright and early and ventured out to the Fairfax County Circuit Court and got our official marriage license! Todd and I drove separately because I was heading in to work after the courthouse and he was heading to get his official wedding day hair cut.* (hilarious story about that to come) Anyway, as we pulled into the courthouse parking garage, I looked in my rear view mirror just in time to see Todd turning the opposite direction of me to go find a parking spot. So of course I loudly announced (to myself) "why didn't he just follow me?? Now I have to walk around the garage looking for him!" So I parked and made a beeline for the stairs and out of nowhere Todd popped up beside me with a huge grin on his face. I (still slightly annoyed) said "where did you go? Why didn't you just follow me??" and he (still grinning) said "I was looking for the exit...this being my last chance and all. Lucky for you, I couldn't find one." I busted up laughing, punched him in the shoulder, grabbed his hand, and we headed for the courthouse. No turning back now!

*side note - hilarious story about Todd's haircut. As we were walking into the courthouse I noticed Todd wasn't wearing a hat. Totally out of character for Todd to be hat-less on his day off from work, and me thinking he was just being classy and polished for our courthouse appearance, I slyly asked "oh, how come you're not wearing a hat today?" Expecting him to say "because we're doing official business at the courthouse", instead he said "because I'm going to get a haircut after this, and Scott doesn't like me to have hat hair." then after a brief pause, he said "wow. that sounded gay." more laughter ensued.

It was a great start to the morning :)

Less than 4 more hours of work and I'm a free (and almost married!) woman until August 4th!

My upcoming timeline consists of sleepover with Stef tonight, a Red Door spa appointment tomorrow morning, followed by massages with mom in the afternoon. Lunch with my mom, Aunt and Gramma on Thursday, dropping Whinnie off at "camp" (aka: the vet/kennel), picking up and wrapping our parent presents, finishing up my bridesmaid gifts, and somehow figuring out how to calm my mothers nerves. Let's hope that massage helps!!

PS - can't wait to have all my girls together on Friday!!! The excitement begins tonight!!!!!!

Time Flies...when you're planning a wedding!

It seems like just yesterday Todd was nervously getting down on one knee on a foggy, dark, humid, beach and asking me to spend the rest of my life with him.

Now we're one week away from starting that life together.

At this time next week, I will officially be Melissa Kalinosky (well as official as I can be without having yet gone to the Social Security office).

At this time next week, we'll be pulling up to our wedding night hotel, gushing about the entire night, and attempting to figure out how we'll be able to sleep in anticipation of heading off to our honeymoon paradise the next morning.

At this time next week, the whole year of planning -- all the time, effort, blood, sweat, and PLENTY of tears that my mom and I put into this wedding will all be worth it. Everything will have finally materialized from small little details, into one perfect ceremony and reception, and it will be over in the blink of an eye.

Every person I meet has the same advice "enjoy it. it'll be over before you know it."

My response is yes, you're right. The wedding will come and go just as fast as this entire year of being engaged has. But when the wedding is over, our marriage is just beginning. We have a whole lifetime to look forward to. Only now, we get to do it together.

I can't wait to marry Todd. Every day I think about how lucky I am to have had a second chance to meet him. I'm so grateful for everything God mapped out for my life...most specifically, Todd.

I can't believe we're in the "home stretch". This week is going to go so fast. I'm hoping I can relish in everything as it all happens. But I know that when the wedding is over, I will have Todd. I will be married to my best friend, and the love of my life.

For as long as we both shall live.

And I thank God for that.

Other things on my mind

With wedding plans coming to a close and the celebration about to begin, my mind has become clouded with thoughts of picking out the appropriate ceremony music, figuring out time lines for hair, make-up, limos, etc., and buying the best possible gifts for our families. Which in turn = my mind has NOT been properly focused at work.

On Monday I forgot to tell the driver the correct location to pick up my boss. Driver was waiting outside our office, boss was at his house. Me = fail.

On Tuesday I forgot that my boss was supposed to attend a second meeting in NY. I had him scheduled to take a plane that was scheduled to leave in the middle of that meeting. Me = fail.

On Wednesday my boss called me out on not paying attention to detail. I couldn't argue -- my mind hasn't been focused. Me = fail.

But the clincher came yesterday: Thursday. I went on my lunch break, and upon my return, Kate (friend, co-worker, sorority sister, fashion guru, etc.) informed me that the boss would be in the office in a about an hour. I quickly changed from my flip-flops to the heels under my desk (as we always do in anticipation of his arrival) and went about getting some work done before he got in.

At 3:30pm - 15 minutes past the time he was supposed to arrive - I walked from my desk to our storage room to grab some supplies, then stopped in front of Kate's desk and said "hmm, we haven't heard from the boss...wonder when he's going to get here?" Kate replied "I know...I already put on my high heels and everything!" At which point I looked down at my feet to say "me too" and instead burst into uncontrollable laughter. I had on two completely. different. shoes. One grey, suede, closed toe, pump. And one black, leather, open toe, wedge. Me = BIG FAIL.

At least Kate and I got a good laugh out of it. And I managed to change to the correct matching set of heels just in time for the boss's arrival, AND a successful afternoon scheduling meeting. At which, Kate and I did NOT fail. :)

He always knows how to make my day

So the big debate in wedding land today has been whether we should depart the reception in a stretch limo or a town car. We are having the best driver in the state of VA (www.americanflaglimousine.com) take us from the reception to our wedding night hotel (sorry friends, it's not the same hotel the guests are staying at...we're staying out near the airport to be in place for our early morning flight). American Flag Limo has great hourly rates...unfortunately, just like every other car company in the market, they charge a 4 hour minimum for their stretch limos. Town cars do not have a minimum.

I was slightly bummed about all of this seeing as I'd always envisioned running out of my wedding reception, holding hands with my new hubby, smiles wider than our faces, through a tunnel of guests holding glowing sparklers, sending us off with their best of wishes, and hopping into a stretch limo to embark on the first of our new adventures as husband and wife.

But this darn poor-economy thing has thrown a wrench in my plan. Paying for a limo for 4 hours, when we're only going down the road a bit, really just doesn't make financial sense. So when I expressed my sadness to Todd via email this afternoon, this was his response:

It'll be alright honey. Besides, We don't need one both ways. because we're going 20 miles and will be so happy and excited that I won't even pay attention to what we are riding in.

And it is much easier to navigate the Arby's drive thru in a town car than a limo :)

Gotta love him...he always knows how to make me smile!

Seating Charts

The seating chart has been a headache all day. Poor mom. I can just picture her sitting at the kitchen island, laptop to her left, names spread out on little post-it notes, sticking them under table numbers and wondering where to place "random cousin #1" and "dateless friend #6". She has emailed me the chart approximately 13 times now, and we finally think we've got it sorted. Sort of.

I feel like after this I should send my mom a sympathy card. Just so she knows I'm feeling her pain. The pain of grouping complete strangers together and hoping that they enjoy each other's company as much as they enjoy their chicken and beef dinners and doing the cupid shuffle and electric slide on a 12' x 12' dance floor while some chicks hair no doubt whips them in the face as another dude stomps on their feet in his wing-tipped loafers.

Ahhh weddings. So much fun with so many strangers.

Cake Topper

Very few of you may know that I have a small affinity for Willow Tree figurines. I've had this affinity since my brother bought me the "Angel of Friendship" figure the Christmas after I got Whinnie. Totally melted my heart.

My affinity grew stronger the first time we visited Jay and Larissa in Scranton and I saw their gorgeous "Together" statue, which they eventually bought for us to have in our own home as well.

Then, this past Christmas, I was browsing for presents and came across the "Promise" cake topper and fell in love. I didn't buy it, as I wasn't sure at the time what our cake was going to look like and if it would go with the theme. We eventually picked out our cake and it was apparent that the cake topper would be too much on top of the cake design. So I sort of cast my desire for the "Promise" topper aside and forgot about it. Until recently.

The other day on my lunch break, I stopped into Hallmark and couldn't help browsing the Willow Tree section. They had the "Promise" cake topper in stock and without even thinking, I grabbed one, made a beeline for the check-out, bought it, and happily skipped out of the store. My mom and I decided we would put the figurine on the cake table, next to (not on top of) the cake. I'm so in love with this figurine that I don't even care if it doesn't go with the wedding colors or theme at all...but I have a feeling it will be a perfect representation of the day...the "Promise" that we are making to each other. And I know this piece will look beautiful in my (still small) collection of Willow Tree figures for years to come, and when I look at it, I'll always remember my Wedding Day and the promise that Todd and I share.

I can't believe I forgot to tell you...

...that my Passport finally arrived! My first passport ever, to make my first trip out of the country ever (OK, I've been to Canada, but that was before you needed a Passport to get there. AND we only went to Niagara Falls. AND we spent a large amount of time on the U.S. side. So -- no offense to my favorite Bachelorette yet, Jillian -- but Canada doesn't count).

The best part about finally getting my Passport?? The next trip Todd and I take together internationally, I'll have to get a brand NEW passport for, with my brand NEW name. Awesome. There goes that $120 down the drain. Actually, I think $120 is a small price to pay for vacation heaven - aka Punta Cana.

Did I mention I was excited?!?!

So many THINGS!

It must have become apparent through my lack of blogging that being less than 3 weeks away from the most important day of your life (sans the day you have babies, which I hear kind of trumps the wedding day, but alas that's far in to the future and we must get through the wedding day first) sort of takes over your life, clouds your mind, and leaves very little time for much else (i.e. blogging).

So allow me to recap the last 10 (or so) days since my last posting:

Last I left off, our hero and heroine (aka Todd and myself) were exactly one month from the gloriously anticipated big day. And now we're 18 days away. EIGHTEEN! The big 1 - 8! Let's be honest though -- every day from here on out is a milestone day. Tomorrow it will be 17. SEVENTEEN! Holy moly!...you get the picture. So what has been happening in the world of wedding planning? Allow me to check my outlook calendar between typing of words as my mind is that unfocused that I can't even remember what's been going on! EEK!

So we went to the Red Sox vs. Nats game with the whole family, and lo and behold the Red Sox lost. The Nats have been having a pretty stinky season and the Sox crushed them the two nights prior to our attendance, but as luck would have it, we show up and they lose. I think it's me. No really, ask Todd -- I told him about 10 times that night "it's because I'm watching".

Anyway, that weekend we laid low...or so I think...see?! I can't remember! I'm pretty sure there was lots of time spent with Mom & Dad though to do wedding stuff. Grrr, my memory.

Last Monday night mom & I tried out a new nail place...partly because we wanted to find a great place for all the girls and I to get our nails done pre-wedding, but also partly because I wanted to get my nails done pre-Engagement photo shoot (more to come). We went to Celebrity Nails in Fairfax...right down the street from my folks house...and it was by far the best mani/pedi I've ever had. Ever. Hands down. Pun intended. A regular mani/pedi there is $35 (great price) but a spa pedicure plus regular manicure is $50 and 100% worth every penny. I have never had anyone pay so much attention and give so much TLC to my feet. At one point I almost told the cute little lady (who spoke no English) rubbing my calves "that's ok, you can stop now, your hands MUST be tired"...but alas I did not because, why would I ever stop a leg massage?! That's absurd. Anyway, as we were paying and about to leave my mom asked the shop owner "can she (pointing to me) bring in her friends for her wedding?" and they all practically shook with excitement, bouncing up and down, saying "yes yes, please please, bring girl, bring all girl!" I wasn't completely convinced they understood, but they were so cute that I called the next day and confirmed 7 appointments for Friday the 24th.

On Wednesday evening we had our Engagement shoot on the water front in Old Town Alexandria. I love our photographer. He's so calming and encouraging. He kept saying that he was getting great shots...which he definitely did (we've already seen the proofs), minus the group of shots where you can see straight down my shirt to my nude colored bra sitting on display for all of Old Town...and anyone who might see the pictures. But considering the sky was minutes away from opening into a downpour and I had to get dressed and primped for the pictures in my office right after work, they turned out quite well! We even brought Whinnie along, and got some great shots of her. After which she deserved a steak dinner because never in the 3.5 years of my sweet dogs life has she sat still for a picture. And she sat still for these -- even cocking her head back and forth as if to say "which is my better side?...is this a good angle for me?" God love her. I'm hoping to get the CD with the pictures soon so that I can post some. We got some seriously bad-ass shots of Todd and I leaning against a concrete wall next to someones black scooter that makes us look like we're in Rome having a romantic rendezvous in a back alley. Well, that, or it just looks like we're in Old Town posing on a wall next to some unknowing patron's parked scooter. But one thing you can't fake -- we look totally in love (insert awwwwwww's and barfing noises here) -- because we totally are. :)

This past weekend was 4th of July weekend and Todd and I had our own mini BBQ (he cooked everything -- I know I've said it before, I'm seriously spoiled), and then we ate Italian ices (sugar free for my man!) on the deck while listening to the fireworks from every side of the Fairfax County Parkway. At one point Todd crawled out on to our roof where he said he could see all of the fireworks displays around the county, but he couldn't hear any of them because all he could hear was his future wife panicking from the window praying (too loudly) that she wasn't Groom-less in 3 weeks due to a horrible accident involving Todd, the roof, and the pavement below.

Sunday was spent running wedding errand with Mom & Dad (Todd had to work). We went to every single Michael's in Northern VA. Actually, we went to 2 or 3, but they had previously visited every other Michael's in NOVA on an earlier trip, sans me. I would just like to point out for any crafters out there that NO CRAFT STORES sell 1 inch ribbon. They have tons of 5/8", 7/8", 1.5", and 2"...but NO 1 INCH. UGH. But we haven't given up hope.

Daddy has been an incredible contributor to helping Mom out -- he's worked on all of the favors to take a little stress off Mom, while she stresses over programs. I'm beginning to feel sort of helpless. I think I need to contribute more. But they are doing such an awesome job of making me feel stress free so that I can just enjoy the day. MAN, I have great parents!

In other non-wedding news, we finally got new curtains and curtain rods for the living room, which I'm thrilled with. We're hosting my Grampa's 83rd birthday party this Friday night at our house. So the week is getting filled with landscaping/gardening/mulching/weed-whacking, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundering, and setting up the house so we can impress my family with our domesticated selves. :)

Promise to post some Engagement pics as soon as I get my hands on them, and to try and provide some better updates on wedding plans coming together...we're down to the wire now!

Excluding today:
10 more work days
18 more total days until the wedding
19 more days until Punta Cana

AHHHHHHHHHHH! SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a small rant...

...about the U.S. Postal Service.

Problem #1: When my Dad mailed out the invitations, the next day a stack of them were sitting in my parents mail box. The Post Office saw the back side of the invites...the side with my parents address -- you know THE RETURN ADDRESS?!?! -- and sent them all to my parents house. Thus making whoever sorted that load of mail look completely incompetent, but more importantly delaying the arrival of the invites to our extremely important guests.

Problem #2: I applied for my Passport 3 or 4 days before Todd did. We both applied at the Post Office...and while they were different locations, Todd is now the proud and happy owner of his very own Passport, AND he has his birth certificate back in his posession, safe and secure. Lord only knows where my Passport and birth certificate are, because they certainly aren't in our house. If they aren't in the mailbox today or tomorrow, I might have to call the State Department and raise a little hell. I hope Todd doesn't end up in the DR without me!

On a happier note, the whole family is heading to Nationals Stadium tonight to watch the Red Sox sweep the Nats! GO SOX!

The countdown is on!

Look what the wedding ticker says today!


I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. It seems like just yesterday we were getting engaged, beginning to plan a wedding, and buying a house. In just under a year we have already moved forward with our lives so quickly, and I couldn't be happier. I am so excited for our beautiful ceremony, and the ridiculous amounts of fun we're going to have at the reception, and of course for the entire week of relaxation in Punta Cana for our honeymoon...but more so I'm excited to start our lives together -- officially as one "unit". We already work so well together in every aspect of life, but soon we will officially be a team. Our own team. The Kalinosky's.

And while it saddens me that I will no longer go by the name of Henson, I will always be a Henson at heart. I will always be Daddy's little girl and Mom's best friend. I will always be Matt's little sister, and the granddaughter of two couples that have both been married for nearly 60 years. I will always be the same person, but with an ever increasing support system. And it's because of the support system that I grew up with, that I feel so blessed to have found someone who so easily and perfectly (as cheesy as it sounds) completes my life. I will become a Kalinosky, but it's not just I who is joining a new family...Todd is also joining my family, and I couldn't be happier.

I can't wait to see what life has in store for us. Where we will travel together. How we will spend holidays and create our own traditions. What our children will look like and who they will take after most. The lessons we'll start to pass down to our expanding family, which we've picked up from our own families over the years. Marriage is a dance perfected over time, and while we still have ALL of the steps to learn, we have great role models in the hugely successful relationships of our families and friends, and we can't wait to get out there on that "floor" and create our own dance together.

Now as we countdown the last month until the wedding, I think it's safe to say it is officially crunch time. (Although I know my mother has considered the entire wedding planning process to have been crunch time!) The last little details and time lines have to be figured out and everything needs to be ready in plenty of time to ensure that the stress monster doesn't take over my (read: my mother's) life. It's all becoming so much more real now...and I'm loving every minute!

Inviting the President

I read somewhere that if you send an invitation to your wedding to the President, you'll get a nice note of congratulations and well wishes back in the mail. This morning mom mailed this out:

While I have no expectations of Barack and Michele showing up to shake their tail feathers and eat steak with our friends and family, I do think a congrats note from the President would be awesome for our wedding scrapbook!

Bachelorette Madness

I have been seriously, SERIOUSLY, lagging in the blogging department. So let's back up to a little over a week ago...

The bachelorette weekend was a success! WAIT...that doesn't even come close to giving it the credit it deserves. The bachelorette weekend was phenomenal. Absolutely perfect in every way. Everything from the girls night out bus, to the dinner and brunch locations, to the tiny phallic symbol confetti adorning every surface of the hotel room was so perfectly thought out and executed with ease, and of course, surprise to me! That's right, I had no idea what was next on the "bachelorette agenda" until right when it was happening. Here's how the weekend unfolded...

Friday:

I left work somewhere around mid-day and nearly got a speeding ticket as I raced home to pack my bags and get the weekend started. After throwing nearly everything in my closet and drawers into my gigantic Vera Bradley duffel bag, Todd threw me AND the bag into the car and drove me out to my parents neighborhood. We quickly kissed goodbye and he raced off, not to be seen again for 2 days. No, he wasn't anxious to get rid of me, but he was anxious to get home to watch the Stanley Cup Play-offs.


So, Caitlin, Kim and I hopped in the car and headed to the Vienna metro. We had to take the orange line to Metro Center, change trains and take the yellow line to the National Archives stop. After about 45 minutes on the metro, the conductor announced "this is the last stop on the orange line in Washington DC". We were at Deanwood. Ever heard of it? Nope, us either. We immediately grabbed our stuff and de-boarded the train. Once out of the train we noticed we were most likely NOT in the nicest of neighborhoods...fortunately we also noticed a metro map. We were SEVEN stops past Metro Center. SEVEN. UGH. We would like to blame it on the fact that we were having such an enthralling conversation that we never even noticed our stop -- or that we were all exhausted and taking naps -- but in actuality we just weren't paying attention. At all. SO back on the train, we made it to our stop, switched trains, and made it to our destination.


We met up with Lori, Stef and Monica and they took me into the hotel to see the first (of a million) surprises! The whole place was decorated with bachelorette paraphernalia and there was even a beautiful "cake" to celebrate with. We immediately made a champagne toast and ordered pizza. After champagne we decided to have some "canned" beverages and the girls whipped out adorable drink koozies specially made for the weekend! One side said "Melissa's Bachelorette Weekend" and the other side said "To Have and To Hold, and To Keep Your Drink Cold!" Adorable! And they were navy and yellow, Todd's two favorite colors! After a few more drinks and chit-chat [read: endless giggling] we changed into our bathing suits and headed for the pool and hot tub. Well when we got down to the pool, there were a few "old folks" hanging around, so we decided to go back upstairs and play a game until we were sure the pool area had been freed up.



Well, the game was probably the most fun I've ever had. The girls had videotaped Todd, asking him a bunch of various questions (i.e. what is Melissa's Dream Vacation, etc.) and then paused the video before his answer. I was to give my answer to the question and if my answer matched his, I got a present (which let's be honest, I was getting the presents anyway) but we ended up matching probably 70-80% of the questions! One of the ones I missed, the answer was Chipotle Tabasco sauce...seriously? The girls know what I'm talking about! :) Anyway, the presents were all under-garment related and totally adorable...and some of them were hilarious and need not ever be shown again ;) ha!




After the game we headed back to the pool with our koozies and after a couple of hours in the pool and hot tub (we had the whole place to ourselves!) we decided it would be a great idea to walk to Clyde's of Chinatown for some late night snacks. After stuffing our faces full of delicious (but unnecessary) appetizers, we headed back to the hotel to crash. We had a long day ahead of us!

Saturday:

We woke up fairly early, got ready, and the girls whipped out the bachelorette party shirts! They were adorable navy blue T-shirts (designed by Sara!) with the words "Melissa's Gettin' Hitched" on the front and "CHEERS!" across the top of the back. Very fitting as we were headed to Tarara winery! The winery was absolutely gorgeous and we sampled about 9 different varieties of wine. Most of which I poured into the discard bucket...but there was a white and a cold red that I really liked (which most of the girls...including me and mom...bought bottles of to take home). After the tasting we headed to the deck for some more wine and a huge lunch spread. Seriously, those girls are so cute! We had a fabulous time Wine-ing, but by 3pm we were all exhausted from the heat and couldn't wait to head back to take a nap.

When we arrived back at the hotel in DC, it was almost 4pm so we decided we had about 40 minutes to take power naps before having to get ready for the night of fun. After about 35 minutes of giggling and attempting to sleep, I finally passed out...which = grumpy mel trying to wake up 5 minutes later. So I dragged myself off the floor and Lor and Monica set out to make me beautiful :) They did my hair and make-up (that's right, the bachelorette gets the royal treatment!) while we all sipped champagne. Then I donned my bright blue dress (all the girls wore black) and we made our way to dinner. Minus the fact that we were running about a half hour late (which running late kind of turned out to be the theme of the weekend), we all scooted out the door to dine at the District Chophouse. WOW. YUM. The food was amazing, but after a day of wine drinking and snacking followed by little sleep, we all got full very fast and had a hard time finishing our dinners. So we packed up leftovers in hopes of destroying them MUCH later in the evening ;) and headed back to the hotel to drop them off.

But once outside the restaurant, SURPRISE! There was a big white van for us all to board. The Girls Night Out bus! The drivers dropped us by the hotel to drop off leftovers, pick up some beverages, and adorn me in bachelorette paraphernalia -- a sash, crown, and even a veil -- before hitting the streets of DC for a bar-hopping extravaganza. The first bar we graced with our presence was McFadden's. I relished in the fact that we got VIP access and were allowed to cut the line and head right in...but once inside I immediately felt embarrassed. I was "THAT" girl in her bachelorette gear with her posse of girls, taking over DC bars. BUT to my astonishment, everyone was excited for me/us and people immediately started buying us drinks and shots. Turned out to be about 3 other bachelorettes in the bar! I received advice and congratulations from a million different people in the bar including "congrats!" and "you girls look great!" and even a "don't do it baby!" from a guy with the worst body odor I've ever smelled. Probably why he's giving out anti-marital advice, because, well, nobody wants to marry his stinky pits.

So we bar-hopped to several other places and found ourselves in Adams Morgan, where I managed to find a flower in the bathroom, which I put in my hair... (gross, right? it was clean, ask Caitlin)...change from my heels into the flip-flops Stef was so graciously carrying for me in her purse...and proceed to proclaim that every song that was played was "my jam" and do endless fist pumps and "roof-raising" (seriously, how 1990's am I?!) until my arms were sore. I am the only person in about 96% of the photos taken in Adams Morgan. Which tells you how embarrassing I must have been.

As the lights started to turn on in the bar (I think we were at Tom-Toms?), we decided there was only one thing that could complete the evening...JUMBO SLICE PIZZA! So we pushed our way through the crowds, and I hugged every bachelorette I saw on the way (and a few of them gave me presents...I ended up with lots of pink beads and even a pink boa!) Stef and I made our way to the front and as Stef said "we need 9 cheese slices please" I busted up laughing because I thought it was a hilarious request. Well, apparently EVERYONE in Adams Morgan was ordering 9 slices of cheese pizza because I was the only one laughing.

Somehow we made it back to the hotel with (most of) the pizza still in tact and I made a bee line for the coffee table and ended the night somewhere around 4am, just like this:

I woke up the next morning in brand new PJ's from Lori...and am still not 100% sure how I put them on! Thank goodness for good girlfriends!

Sunday:

We woke up around 10ish and no, we did not shower. But we did manage to comb our hair and remove remnants of leftover makeup from the night before and head out to brunch! At this point only six of us were still standing - Lor, Caitlin, Mon, Stef, Marissa, and myself (Larissa had to get on the road back to PA and Katie and Annie had gone home at the end of Adams Morgan the night before) -- and we were verrrry tired.

At this point me verrrry tired also = me a littttle cranky. So as I was getting dressed, I sort of "demanded" that Lori tell me where we were going so I could dress appropriately. A few times I have been quoted as saying "I'm tired of being fun". I deny those allegations, but perhaps I was still a bit hazy from lack of sleep and too much excitement and I might have said something along those lines.

Anyway, we went to Old Ebbitt's Grill for a delicious brunch, complete with bloody mary's and mimosas, as per my wishes! As we sat eating and piecing the night before together through Monica and Caitlin's camera's (they both took tons of fabulous...and some not so fabulous...pictures) I was overcome with sadness. Whether it was the fact that my weekend with the girls was quickly coming to an end, or the fact that I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open, I told the girls that I was getting that "after Christmas depression" feeling. They agreed.

So we all headed home, and I immediately plopped on my couch (still no shower), put in Bride Wars (one of my fabulous weekend gifts!) and passed out until Todd came home. Actually, even when he got home, I could barely open an eye to say hello to him (even though I was very excited to see him!) and all I could hear was Todd talking to a buddy on the phone saying "well, she can't even get off the couch, so she MUST have had a good time!"

No...not a good time. A Great time.

Thank you to all my fabulous ladies who worked so hard to put together such an amazing weekend in my honor. It could not have gone any better or been any more fun. I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends (even those who could not make it but contributed in HUGE ways!). And while it may have been my "last fling before the ring" I know we'll remain the closest of friends and continue to have many more wild and crazy nights together in the future...just next time, no pictures of me singing please. They are never attractive.

I LOVE YOU GIRLS!! XOXO