Snapshot: Newlywed Nights

It's not about last night. It's about the feeling of last night (not that kind of night). And I know that those nights won't last forever, so I do my best to capture it.

Time with friends first. New friends for me. Co-workers for you. Outside in a beautiful night Sunshine, sunscreen, mild exercise, laughs at others and ourselves. Then the co-workers left, and we ate the picnic you packed filled with your food and my food. Sitting, talking, relaxing on a Friday.

Then home. Movie. Computer. Magazines. Then it got later, and just the movie. I impressed myself and stayed up for the whole thing (a rarity for me lately). Sitting on the loveseat. You're trying to sneak a peek at the flesh between my pants and my shirt. I'm forever trying to find a comfortable position. Snuggles. Not intimate; loving. Nice. Just one night among many similar nights, but a good one. If our whole lives are like this, that's just fine with me.

Scrapbook

I forgot my ipod (I refuse to capitalize it based on Apple's dictation) for my bike ride today. So that means time to think. And for some reason I was thinking about scrapbooks. And how it seems unlikely I will ever make the big fancy one. And I thought about how I could preserve my memories in another medium.

And then I realize that, duh, I am a world-class (sarcasm intended) blogger. And since a good scrapbooker would document her Blessed Event, here are some memories of the day I don't want to lose.

• I didn't sleep for several nights beforehand. As I get when I am tired, I was quite teary-eyed. But the day was flawless, and I never did have the expected breakdown. Memory: flawless day.
• I couldn't believe my hair and make-up. Both were perfect. Neither were done by me. Memory: I clean up good.
• The weather was beautiful. Outside pictures were a success. Husband and I got to have some time outside with just the two of us and my photographer aunt. This helped with the calming.
• Violin. Eternal Flame. Awesomeness.
• Walking down the aisle, knowing that on either side of me were people who were there to support us and show us love. They believed in our relationship.
• Unity candle didn't light. Then broke, and Husband was able to light the bottom half. Much-needed awesomeness.
• Ceremony was uber-short. Then the receiving line, which gave me the insight that it really is hard to process that many people in that short a time. Good I am not a politician or a celebrity.
• As we drove to the reception, stangers honked and waved. Awesome. Husband was insanely happy to be driving his baby and getting attention.
• Great food. So much dancing. Friends, family, no songs I dislike. Party ended when I was ready for it to end. People laughed and socialized and listened to music and ate yumminess and had fun. Exactly what I wanted.

Maybe scrapbooking is fun!

Thoughts on the Big Wedding

It's been awhile since the big event. And here is a long-delayed post sharing my thoughts on having the big wedding.

Some of you may know that I was initially opposed to the big event. But not staunchly opposed, an I was talked into it pretty quickly. And overall, I have to say I enjoyed it. But there were both pros and cons.

Let's get the bad stuf out of the way first - Cons:

• Cost. Obviously, the big wedding is ridiculously more expensive than the city hall wedding. We did things for reasonably cheap (seriously, I don't even know what people who spend $100,000 spend it on), but still it was plenty of money.
• Stress. I don't know, but I imagine the very small wedding involves a lot less stress. Such as stress related to the guest list, the vendors, the mailing and contacting, the etc.
• Seriously, the stress. If you know someone getting married, do them a favor and empower yourself to make your own decisions.
• Time. It takes many hours to plan the big wedding. We were fortunate enough to not have a problem with time off, but it's still a time commitment.
• Expectations. We skipped or seriously simplified a lot of wedding customs and traditions, but there are still many things that apparently you are obligated to do.

Now the good stuff -- Pros:

• Fun. It was a great day. My family and friends were all there. There was food and dancing selected by me. Dress, hair, make-up, all the prettiness I seldom do is nice to do once in awhile.
• Family and friends. I don't often see some of these people, and it was nice to have an excuse. Although the opportunity to chat is not plentiful during the event.
• It is your day. Got the violinist. Got the outfit I wanted. Had I had other dreams related to my wedding day I could also have had those things. Not a lot of days feature all your favorite things. And a bachelorette party in your honor.
• Gifts. Not to be shallow, but we probably got more gifts with the big wedding than we would have with the small one. And we're practical people, so we got things we didn't have that we needed.

If I had it to do over, would I? Can't say for sure. I probably would, just because you only get the one shot. If there is a second wedding (which, obviously, I don't think there will be), it will be small.

Would I have done a lot of things differently? Not really. A few very minor things. And I would have made it more clear early on that people should make their own decisions. There was a breakdown (mine) the night before, and I would have worked harder to avoid that. And slept more in the days leading up to it.

More wedding thoughts to follow.

Chipping Away

Recently, I went to the cupboard and was saddened by the lack of chocolate chips. As I was lamenting it, Husband asked what happened to them. Seemed like an obvious one to me - he didn't eat them, so apparently I did. Duh.

He thinks this is weird. I ate the chips over the course of a month or so ... a few here, a handful there. For some reason, it would be normal if it was an entire bag of chocolate chips. Or an equal sized bag of chocolate candies.

Tell me, is it weird to eat chocolate chips on their own?

Pants Off Dance Off

Thanks to Weight Watchers, I have no work pants that fit. This is a good thing. But it's also a bad thing, as pants that hang off my hips and sag around my ass are not a good look for me (or anyone). And as I haven't lost any weight since December, I should be able to have a few things that sit at my waist and frame my butt.

So this weekend I bought pants. It's probably important to note here that I was retaining some water over the weekend, and I was totally aware of it. So I bought pants that fit, thinking that the smaller size was just too big a risk (I am still a little self-conscious in things that are tight).

And today I wore the pants. Which were slightly too big. I was planning to keep them, as they fit better than my old pants and I didn't feel right about returning something I had already worn. And I convinced myself that they may shrink to fit.

Then, this afternoon I was walking and suddenly there was thread everywhere. My hem fell. First wearing. Pants are going back. Likely not to be replaced anytime soon.

But regular fat clothes are going to the garage sale for sure!