Alan and I chose all the music for the reception ourselves. I have been to weddings with the worst DJ's that play nothing the B&G wanted. Well, Bree's brother Pat is playing DJ for us with all of Alan's equipment. He has DJ'd before...but we took this opportunity to take total control of the music..hehe.
SO...I was listening to one of the CD's on the way to work and just laughed the whole way. I just imagined Alan and his oh-so-cute white man's overbite and my mom trying to keep to the beat and me, being a drunk fool just having a blast.
After listening to this tho...I think we need to add more that our parents and "that" generation will enjoy. I remember Anna's wedding with Brave Combo and how young and old were dancing most of the night. I dont think we really have quite enough of that. Granted there is some Supremes, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole...but I think they will have very confused looks when Ice Ice Baby starts playing! My personal favorite so far is Selena's Bidi Bidi Bom Bom!
This is going to be so much fun!
I just still have over 100 programs to assemble. It is a very long process...Bree is coming over tonight to help.
9.29.2004
Well, I think I am feeling much better now. Alan's mom came over last night and we had a couple of good cry's. We talked about my grandmother and Alan's grandmother and how much they would have loved being at our wedding. We started assembling programs for the wedding and didnt get much done, partly because it is a long process, but partly because we were just talking. It was good.
Murphey's Law has truly struck! My bathtub, also the guest bath is un-usable. It fills with water and wont drain. Now, this could wait until after the wedding because I could just use the other shower for now, BUT we have company coming in town a week from tomrorow and staying at our house. So, Alan is calling our home warrenty people today to see what our coverage is. Jeannette thinks we have some coverage, but how much is undetermined. Could this happen at a better time??? Yeah for credit cards!
10 days and counting...I think I have all jobs covered...all instructions written...all little errands run. Just need to finish assebling 140 programs, steam my dress, iron 12 table runners, hotglue bows onto toasting flutes, finish wrapping the family and attendant gifts, catch up on thank you notes, write out lesson plans for my sub, clean the house, get my bathtup fixed, get my eyebrows waxed, manicure, pedicure, deliver all decorations to the hotel, pack for the honeymoon...all while going to Texarkana this weekend with mom and alan for my mother's cousin's daughter's wedding.
We are to about 133 guests for the wedding...possibly as low as 130. We estimated 135, so we are right on track!
9.28.2004
I think we are about 11 days out. This is a really hard time. We are seriously short on money for this thing and I just am not sure what to do about it. I am extremely excited, more so about being married. I have never been one to enjoy getting all dolled up and stared at. Several people are starting the whole mantra of telling me not to stress. That is kinda like telling me not to breathe at this point. Many of these same people either have not had to plan a wedding (or never will have to) or had or know people that had rich daddy's to pay for it or mommy's that had tons of time to go shopping and help plan. I havent had that. Everyday I have had a list of 1000 things that need to be done and rarely anyone to help. I have amazing friends that had contributed tremendously, but they cant do it all. Alan has really done all that he can and I love him for it. I am doing everything I can to make the most important day of my (and Alan's) life as perfect as I possibly can. I know it cant be everything...but I want so badly to make this the most special day in our lives thus far. This is why it does hurt when I get blanket statements like "oh, dont stress about money" or my personal favorite "take an Ex-lax". I guess these statements probably come from people that feel they are being supportive when, really, they make me feel like I am being judged for working so f*&%ing hard on this wedding. My marriage to Alan means the world to me...and any amount of stress only stems from that. I cried a lot last night...mostly due to these types of comments...no matter how right I try and do everything...people will still judge me and try and tell me I am wrong. It hurts. So, please understand and support us for the love we share, not judge us for the human flaws that we will never get over.
9.20.2004
ELOPE! Support tourist towns. Spend your money on a great vacation and a new car or a house...what I could have done with $13,000. No Jetta wagon for me...
9.13.2004
See if this works...
It's a countdown clock to the wedding...can you tell I am READY????
(NOTE: I fixed it, hon... -Alan)
9.10.2004
Alan says I need to post more...I have a wedding to plan...blah!
Ok, fine...I have been in a crappy sleep cycle...been sick for almost 2 weeks now...need $2000 to finish paying for our wedding...BUT, no matter what I am still getting married in 29 days, 6 hours, 2 minutes...hehe
9.08.2004
After a weekend of the requisite bachelor and bachelorette parties, and the ensuing recovery period, I'm now back to my normal daily work routine for a full week (for the first time in nearly a month). Em and I are also preparing for our garage sale on Saturday; if you desire some cool stuff for your home for a small amount of money, be sure to pay us a visit!
As a postscript to my moviewatching expedition a couple weeks ago, last weekend Em and I trekked to the Magnolia to see Garden State. I realize it has gotten a lot of hype within indie circles, but I think it is well-deserved; the film was solid, and provided a good look at the sort of ennui many of us have gone through in our early- to mid-twenties. I would have identified better with it a couple of years ago, before I met my future wife and settled down (to some degree), but it still had a lot of themes that struck a chord with me. Braff was good, Portman was great, and the soundtrack was ultimately what won me over (fantastic song selection, used effectively).
In other news, we are still looking around at different places of worship, trying to find one that meets our spiritual needs the best. Last week we walked up the street to FUMC of Richardson, and we both liked it. We'll need a few more visits, but it does offer a lot of what we're looking for, and it's obviously a vibrant, healthy church (they are even building a new facility down the road, still within walking distance of the house).
Speaking of faith matters, there's an interesting piece in CJR this month about the World Journalism Institute, a "school" designed to help aid evangelical journalists in their quest to enter the mainstream world of the Fourth Estate and let their faith be a positive influence in the newsroom. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I agree there are too many cynics in this business, be it in regards to religion or otherwise; however, though the WJI's goals may be lofty and aimed at letting faith spur the journalist to a higher level of productivity (see mid-sixties-era McCandlish Phillips), I am afraid that too many gung-ho young charges will mistake their teachings for a Great Commission-style charge to go out and convert the downtrodden people they are supposed to cover onjectively. The head of the WJI says that is not his intention, and I hope his students realize that.