I'm a MRS!

Still hasn't really set in, but this is my first day as a married lady! I feel like I will have SO many pics and things to blog about....but will give quick synopsis now. We leave for HM tomorrow and am VERY excited for a vacation! The weather turned out absolutely PERFECT...so maybe dustin luck is not so bad after all! Woke up Saturday morning and looked beautiful, but laid in bed watching the weather forecasts and they all kept saying rain was moving in and we'd have thunderstorms in the afternoon. I check the hourly forecast and still calling for rain at 3pm. So it POURS after lunch-- people from out of town were saying they almost had to pull off the road it was raining so hard. Dustin said the phone was ringing off the hook with people calling...cause I'm sure they are thinking there is no way they are supposed to go to our outdoor ceremony. So Dustin had been trying to call the botanical gardens, but couldn't get through. So Yara, our awesome coordinator, gets through to the gardens and they say they have a meterology team there and that the rain will end around 2 and we'll be good-- they'll get the seats dried off and everything good to go. So we keep the ceremony on! Stops raining at some point-- maybe like 2:30 and holds off throughout the ceremony-- the sun even peeked out some too! It was just amazing how it worked out. So we stay around the gardens for some pictures afterwards and the sky starts getting super dark and gloomy. I know it made for great pictures, but we were just waiting for it to start pouring on us! We were able to take pics for about an hour and then started feeling raindrops, so got to the bus pronto. Starts raining then as we are driving downtown to the arch for more pictures. Arrive at the arch and it is sprinkling, but not too bad so we get out of the bus. Looks like the storm is moving away and sun will be coming back out. Then the sun comes out and a RAINBOW appears!!!!!! It was just so awesome and thinking it was so fitting that we got engaged in Hawaii where we saw so many awesome rainbows....and then we happen to get one in St. Louis on our wedding day!!!!! I just can't even describe how perfect that weather worked out...and I will be forever grateful that we were able to have the beautiful outdoor ceremony. Then it was on to the reception which was a lot of fun....but just flew by! Ok, more details and pics later, but here are a few people have sent:

911!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have labeled the caption of this picture on my computer as "heart attack." Our ceremony is at 3:30-- this is what you call "Dustin luck"

OMG.

Can't believe today is rehearsal day!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously woke up this morning and feel like I'm going to throw up-- just doesn't seem like it should be here already! This year flew by and even this last week completely flew by! Probably forgetting some major things, but hopefully I won't. This morning we will drop off our last stuff at WOW, need to make some reserved seating signs, need to put together gifts for the wedding party, and then need to finalize all timelines and get them printed out to have with me. Then I'll pack up my bags and move into my hotel suite! Oh man, freaking out! But excited!

Down to the wire!

So technically it is already Thursday cause is 1am...so I am 2 days away from getting married! We've been super busy, but feel like this is what it's all about and part of the experience! We got all moved out of my place-- it was very rushed, but got it all done Tuesday night and then salvation army picked up some things this morning that I couldn't sell. I close tomorrow and then hopefully I'll be mortgage free! Got my rehearsal dinner dress in the mail today and LOVE it...so I'm super excited to wear that. Still waiting for a few other things in the mail, so they better be here today...or that will not be good! Weather forecast still sucks-- scattered thunderstorms. Ok, well didn't finish everything I wanted, but am dead tired....so turning in to bed and will just hope that I can get a lot done tomorrow! I don't know if Dustin knows what he is in for tomorrow, but he took a half day from work to clean the loft....and it is a disaster zone, so that is going to suck to clean!

Weather

Forgot to mention that naturally I am OBSESSED over checking the weather. I go to multiple sites, which basically all give different forecasts...so isn't too helpful. But they all have 1 thing in common- RAIN!!!!!!!! Have I not told you before that dustin has the WORST luck of anyone...ever. So all along we kept saying, it is probably going to rain....so at least we are prepared for it, but will just suck big time. Won't get all the outdoor pictures and the ceremony will just lose the ambiance. Ok, can't even think about it now cause just makes me mad. Ugh

can't sleep, can't sleep, can't sleep!

I don't know what is wrong, but lately I have like 2 nights out of the week where I just can't sleep at all! I think it's cause I can't get my brain shut off, so I've been forcing myself to at least get up and do things and be productive. 2am and still wide awake tonight though! I did get up and get an email out to the wedding party with some details, made some signs for the bar at the wedding, made some smoking and no smoking signs for the reception balconies, and revised my programs. Also watched the Beautiful life (which was not good) and gossip girl. Today I got all the placecards made-- now mom is just double-checking them and alphabetizing. Got all the candy jars cleaned and candy in them-- now just need to put labels on them and that is done. Also, got the out of town gift bags complete. And got all pics scanned into the pc for the slideshow-- told Dustin that is now all in his hands to do. Phew! tomorrow will just be some minor wedding stuff and hopefully get 100% moved out of my condo so can be done with that then. Ok, you think this infommercial would put me to sleep...maybe I have a better chance of sleeping if I shut this laptop....laters

Honeymoon booked!

Nothing like waiting to the last minute! I had REALLY wanted St. Lucia and done TONS of research on it, but it was getting expensive to spend so much time there...so decided we should go back some other time when just doing a week vacation. Then we thought about Costa Rica...but then moved off of that. We went back to our original idea that we just wanted to go relax at an all-inclusive...and do a more sight-seeing type vacation another time. So we have never been to the Dominican Republic and I found a great, newer resort there....so that is what we decided on! It is the Iberostar Grand Bavaro and the reviews seem outstanding, so I can't wait!

Forecast good so far!

Well, the forecast currently has estimated high of 75 for Friday 9/25 and high of 78 for Saturday 9/26-- sunny both days and no rain!!!!!  Cross your fingers this can be the ONE time that the weather people will get it right!

Craigslist Overload!!!!!

So we moved some more stuff out of my condo (aka OGC - One Gus Center which was dorky nickname we came up with cause our work building was called OBC - One Bell Center). I spent hours today posting stuff on Craigslist...don't know how something so simple is such a pain! Anyways, since I'm dealing with so much stuff with my condo and the wedding I asked dustin if I could leave his name and email as the contact for this stuff and put him in charge of it. So there have been 2 phone calls already-- and he missed both calls cause he was too busy playing games on his phone! There have been like 8 emails on stuff-- all of which I have fielded. So not sure how this has saved me any time at all! Anyways, the good thing is at least there is interest in this stuff, but so far we don't have any appointments set up. Ugh- this week is not going to be fun I can tell!

Marriage License- check!

Picked up the marriage license at lunch today. Of course nothing is easy-- checked the internet and found dustin needed his passport since not a citizen and you can only pay in cash. So I walked home at lunch to get his passport....can't find it in its usual spot, finally remembered it was probably still in our bag from the canada trip! Found it! So I leave and am walking back to work to meet dustin-- realize I forgot the cash...so have to walk back. Get back home and the elevators are being cleaned so can only take the steps. By now it was almost noon (when I was supposed to meet him), so am looking for my cell to tell him to meet me at city hall instead. Realize I left my phone in the car from last night...so with no elevator have to run to basement to get the phone. Then get all the way to city hall with passports, drivers license, birth certificates, like our whole lives....and she wants our SS cards!!!! Those cards seem to be so useless and it seems if I have a passport and such, then surely I have a valid SSN! Luckily she was nice and just told us to write our SSNs on a piece of paper and she'd take that. Interesting. I found the info they ask and put on the certificate very interesting. Like why did they need to know how many years of education I have? Are they not going to let us get married if I don't have enough smarts? I don't know-- had to put our right arms up and swear we told the truth and then walked away $48 poorer with a certificate in hand! Now just can't lose it and have to bring it back signed!

Mail Service Sucks!

So a lot of people received our invites really quickly-- I was impressed when people got them like a day or 2 after we mailed them. However, we are just NOW getting ones returned to us in the mail where the address was wrong. Don't they look at it, realize it's wrong, and just send it back? What have they been doing with these invites for the last month?!?!?! Now it's 2 weeks before the wedding and we are finding this out. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I wish they'd just get rid of the mail and all post offices-- just seem more useless than anything. 99% of what they deliver is junk mail we don't need anyways. Ok, time to stop thinking about the annoying post office!

Seriously?!? Ellen?!?!

Well by now most people have seen this-- they've announced Paula Abdul's replacement on AI and probably made the worst choice ever-- Ellen DeGeneres. Yes, this is no joke, unfortunately it is not April 1, so this must be true. She was annoying as guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance, but apparently they loved her cause the same moron runs AI. Oh well, maybe just one less show I'll watch this year!

Good friends and good times can't be beat!

This past weekend was absolutely great and some of my best friends came out for my bachelorette party! We went to Ste Genevieve to several wineries on Saturday and then spent the night in an awesome villa at one of the wineries. We woke up Saturday morning and was dismal and raining outside-- not ideal! So we contemplated just staying downtown and watching the IL-MO football game....but luckily decided against that since IL got destroyed. Once on the road, the rain cleared up and sun came out once we got out of St Louis! First stop was Cave Winery-- we did wine shots in chocolate glasses which were yummy and then took a shuttle down to a real cave. We had brought a picnic lunch, so sat in the cave, ate, drank, and listened to some acoustic music. Here's me and Carly and you can kinda see all the rock and cave in the background.

Then it was on to Chaumette where we were able to check into the villa and was amazed at how awesome it was! We all wanted to move in and never leave! Then we went up to Chaumette for free tastings. Then decided we better get to a place to cheer on the illini! So we went to Crown Valley Brewery-- did not really care for their beer, but others did so I'm glad we went there. Here's all of us at the brewery:
Gave up on the illini and then headed to Crown Valley Winery-- did a tasting there- probably the best wine of the places, hung out until they closed and headed back home!

So we get back to the villa and Missy had called earlier and requested a rollaway or cot if one was available so someone didn't have to use the couch. So we get back home and they had put this creepy white bed right when you walked in the front door and it was directly under this dining light. So Alana comes up with the idea that this is Michael Jackson's hospital bed...so I walk in the door and she forces me to down onto this, I have no idea what is going on, and she starts "reviving me." It provided hours of entertainment all night long! Later I did some George Castanza poses on it while the paparazzi took pictures of me. Then we decide to all get on it and set camera self-timers...which in the process we break the bed, but don't realize it until later. Then we just played a lot of games all night-- usually the point was the loser had to sleep in MJs bed...but Carly said she just couldn't sleep there cause was so creepy....which was bad news to her cause is not the best at the games we played! Lucky for everyone, crystal was a sweetie and slept on the creepy bed and said it slept real well!

My revival:

For some reason, Carly was INSISTING that we all had to do the sideways peace sign...probably is like some gang symbol that we are all giving and don't even know it! Here we are piled onto MJs bed:

In our comfy clothes before a walk and pool "break-in"....

Ah, such good friends and good times-- hopefully we all go back again soon! I miss everyone and thank you SO MUCH for coming and giving me a weekend to remember!

Adios condo....hopefully!

Well, I've been super busy lately and haven't even had a minute to post, but I'm also a little hesitant to post too much wedding stuff now cause I want there to be some elements of surprise at the wedding! We have got a TON of wedding stuff done recently, but there is still quite a bit to go! In the midst of all this, I got another offer on my condo and we've signed a contract- woohoo! All this happened within the first month of listing it with a realtor, so at least it moved quickly. They did the inspection and appraisal this week and all has gone fairly well. I'm not giving in to all items on the inspection, so we'll see how that goes...but I've already caved enough on the price that I honestly am just ready to walk away from this buyer if she won't take. Basically she's asking for $750 because the hot water heater and furnace are old...HELLO, you are buying a 27 year old condo and be happy that at least in the last 2 years I've replaced ALL kitchen appliances to stainless steel/black and bought a new A/C unit AND I bought her a home warranty for the first year. So assuming this all goes through, we close on the Thursday right before the wedding....so now I gotta work on selling all my furniture and sorting through the rest of my belongings there. Speaking of which, if anybody needs anything, just let me know and I may have it and willing to give you! One thing less for me to put on craigslist or take to goodwill. I'll be somewhat sad to leave my condo, which dustin doesn't understand at all how I get attached to places....but it's just that it was my first place I bought and had lots of good memories there, but I am ready to get rid of it and LOVE the teeny tiny loft we're in! Oh and I kept trying to sell the buyer all or some of my belongings and the only thing she wanted was these 3 paintings I made! So if I ever lose my job at AT&T, guess people are willing to buy my artwork! I had a previous interested buyer who also said too that she didn't want any furniture, but wanted to be my 3 art pieces! Too funny- what's the saying- one person's junk is another's treasure or something like that. Dustin was bummed cause he really liked them and wanted them for the loft, but they just belong with the condo and am happy to pass them on to the next owner!

A few pics to remember it by:

The great gus artwork!