To those about to wed, I salute you!!

I enjoy a good wedding. I have been to some great weddings and to some that were a bit wack-a-doo!!! I think the key to a great wedding is simple- Use Your Noggin!

When I got engaged back in 1994, I was thrilled. Tim proposed to me while we were watching my favorite movie, It's A Wonderful Life"- He had the ring in between the cushions of the couch. He had a decoy box nicely wrapped and under the tree- I saw it right away but played it cool and didn't say a word- he asked me if I wanted to open one of my Christmas gifts early- I said, "No that's okay, I can wait."- "Well, I really think you should open that little box under the tree."- Well, maybe later."- "Please, just open it now."-" Well, if it's that important to you I'll open it." So, I unwrap this sweet little box and open it up only to find my confirmation ring- what the........? As I am looking at this all too familiar ring Tim pulls out the hidden ring box and says, "Perhaps this is what you were looking for!" I remembering jumping up and down calling my brother and sister and thinking Vegas her we come!!

I did not intend on having a big blissful bash- it's not how I roll. I wanted something very small and very classy- Perhaps somewhere down in the Old Market with a reception at the French Cafe. I could have easily eloped and been happy with that as well. It could have been that way had we not told THE PARENTS!

The week after the engagement was announced Tim's mom was planning how it was all going to go down. She had gone to some hobby shop and hit the prom decor section. She had big ballooning, rootykazooty mylar and zippity-do-da ideas. "Can we please elope? " Came out of my mouth all the time.

We navigated ourselves through the next 8 months without any lengthy hospital stays. I will say that during this time I had chronic bladder infections, a Miniere's Disease diagnosis, An allergic reaction to Miniere's meds that landed me in the er, and various other health problems. Yes, I was stressed!!

The stress got to me. We had over 500 people invited to our wedding and I didn't know any of them. My mom stepped in knowing I was going to blow. She took care of the food, and did all of the decorating- She is a Martha Stewart freak so I was good.

I did nothing to prepare for this wedding except bleach my teeth. I went shopping for my wedding gown the same day I had 3 wisdom teeth pulled. I was pretty well medicated during the shopping experience. I tried on only 3 dresses and got the dress mom and Gma thought I looked the best in. It fit, I didn't need to have it altered- which is unheard of when you're short like a hobbit. I got the bridesmaid dresses off the rack at Younkers. They were short deep pink knee length with an umpire waist line- flattering on anyone and they could be worn again.

We won our DJ at a wedding open house. He was worth what we paid. He played Kenny G after I asked him not to. He didn't like the fact that we were not doing the garter toss and he was a little bit hacked off that I didn't want a dollar dance. We did do the Chicken Dance though. He also pulled off a dollar dance as well. Our delightful best man charged my sweet grandpa all he had on him to dance with me. What a guy. Best Man took the dollar dance $$$ to Boomers strip club. Nice!!

I could go on and on about my wedding- 14 years seems like yesterday. If I could do it again I would totally do a destination wedding on a beach with my kids and my favorite people. Maybe for our 20Th anniversary? HMMMMMMMMM

The best part of the wedding was marrying Tim. He is a great guy. He is very much like my sweet little grandpa. Grandpa told me that God had blessed me with a wonderful young man- He may not be so young anymore but he is every bit if not more Wonderful.

If you're planning a wedding here's a list of dos

1 Make sure you love the person and are on the same page in regards to kids, religion, goals etc. don't go in thinkin' you are change him or her.

2 Decide what kind of wedding you want before announcing the engagement. That way when in-law to be interrogates you -you can fire back quickly- have a plan in action

3 Do not spend more than you can afford. Debt is a great way to cut the honeymoon phase short.

4 Remember a wedding is one day- A marriage is forever.

5 Don't sweat the small stuff- and there will be "stuff"- just gotta let it roll.

6 Communicate what you want and how you feel- But be kind in doing so.

7 Be honest

8 Write your own vows-- I think this keeps the whole marriage thing real- and it keeps your wedding priorities straight.

9 Get premarital counseling or take marriage classes at your church. One of the best things we ever did.

10 Remember you are marrying this person because you love them- Not to have a sweet party and rake in the gifts.

delightful!!

Hello friends,

I decided to write about delightful things since tomorrow is Valentine's Day and my last post came off as kind of crusty.

1. Hot coffee- in moderation. I made a mistake of coming home from work one day and brewing up a pot that I then sucked down in record time. I still haven't been able to sleep and don't even get me started on the gut issues that followed.

2. Soft fluffy blankets. I live in an old drafty house so cuddly things are essential. I drape it around myself like a cape and feel rather regal.

3. Glitter. Like I tell the preschoolers- every thing is better with glitter on it and you can never have to much of it -unless it's in lip gloss. Too much glitter in lip gloss could have you looking like David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust phase.

4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you are snowed in pop that in the DVD player and you're set for the next 16 hours.

5. Board games- especially scrabble. My mother and I once played until 4:30 a.m. Is wray a word?

6. Soup. I think I could live on minestrone- seriously.

7. Clearance racks- I love a bargain. Rest in peace World Market. I will think of you every time I use my delightful 12 cup coffee press I got really cheap at your going out of business sale.

8. Energy. It would be delightful if I had enough energy to dedicate time each day for exercise.

9. Good friends. I don't think I had really solid friendships until I was in my 30's. A good friend loves you matter what you wear, drive or where you live. A good friend will tell you things you may not want to hear but need to hear. A good friend encourages you to do your best and when you struggle they are there to help you through. A good friend reminds you not to sweat the small stuff. A good friend shares their Rita cookies with you. A good friend tells you when you are wearing something that really isn't working for you. A good friend makes you laugh. A good friend doesn't betray your trust. A good friend tells you when you have food in you teeth or your breath smells. A good friend forgives and holds no grudges. A good friend prays for you. A good friend keeps you accountable and helps keep you right with God.

10. Family. God has blessed me with a most delightful husband and 2 sweet kids. Sometimes I am completely overwhelmed with thankfulness because I never thought it would be a reality for me. At one time I really did not want to get married- when your parents have had more marriages between them than you have siblings it kind of sours you on it. God lead me to the perfect guy. And we are blessed with two sweet children that we love deeper than the ocean.

11. Hope for the future. Because of Jesus I have a promising future- eternity. I look forward to that day- to be in his presence- Delightful!!

12. Love is delightful. Have a splendid Valentine's Day. Make sure you tell those close to you that you love them- they will think it's delightful.

Crap- It's everywhere!!!!

I am finding that quality has gone right out the window and been replaced with nothing but crap. So here is my list of crappy things out there.

1. Rock of love. Celeb-reality star Bret Michael's looks for love- in all the wrong places with the worlds raunchiest women. Crap television

2. Bret Michael needs to get rid of the fake hair and embrace his baldness- you know those shiny blond locks hanging from the cowboy hats and dew rags are fake and crap.

3. Over priced cups of coffee. Get yourself a coffee press and you'll never want to go to Starbucks again.

4. Prom dresses. Many look like they could be worn by the rock of love women. No coverage.

5. Teenagers who drive nicer vehicles than their parents- Total crap. If you want a car get a job.

7. Children with cell phones. My daughter would totally argue with me over this. I said she could have one if she could pay for it and pay the monthly bill. That will never happen.

8. One-uppers. These people always need to be heard and if you tell a story chances are they've done the same thing also and have done it better.

9. Triple ply story tellers. These are people who are not old or forgetful who tell you the same story over and over again- just to hear themselves talk.

10. Mean people. Crap is caused by hateful, miserable people. Is it so hard to be nice and get along with each other?

11. Society hopefuls. Don't act like your better than anyone else. No one is exempt from freak show family members and embarrassing life moments. I cannot stand when people act and think that they are better or above the average population. Or try to cover up their crude upbringing by acting all snotty- give me a break and get some much needed therapy. No one has or will have a perfect life here on earth. Sin is messy and we are ALL guilty of it. Everyone has crap of some sort.

12. Doom and gloomers. Don't rain on the parade- be a part of it. Joy is hard to find when it's covered in crap.

Well, there you have it. My crap list. Take it for what it's worth.

Have a happy day- not a crappy one.

what I learned this weekend

Hello

So I went to do the whole spray tan nail business thing with my sister (in the picture above. the dude is my husband, Tim, who gave us the gift certificates to do this fancy business) and I learned a couple of things.

Not all spray tans are private matters. When I went in for my appointment, I was introduced to this lady- I can't remember her name so I will call her Lola. Lola gingerly shook my hand and guided me to the tanning room. She said, "you'll need to get undressed and I will be back in a few minutes to spray you." I must have had a look of shear terror on my face because she quickly added, " You undress to what you feel comfortable in." Well I didn't pack my big, fluffy robe so I'm in a bit of a pickle. Crap!! That was all I could think of. So I venture in to the tanning room.

Of coarse there was a full sized wall mirror which just added to my torment. I undressed down to my undergarments, looked in the mirror, stuck my tongue out and whispered, "fool!" to myself. Lola reappeared and asked me how dark I wanted to be. I said, "I just don't want to look like I'm dead- no need to over do anything." She chuckled and started spraying. You have to stand with your arms straight out on each side. I was feeling very embarrassed. That changed the minute Lola started spraying. It felt like she was spraying ice water on my body- yikes! Lola sees that I am tense and asks how I doing, "Lovely." I reply. "Good, because I am going to apply the second coat now." "Oh no you didn't. " I thought to myself. And then it was over. She gave me a blow dryer to dry myself off with. I threw my clothes back on and turned around to have a look at my tan self. "Wow, I look alive. I think I could get use to this." And now a new addiction begins.....

Chronic hand washers shouldn't do the whole manicure thing. I have polish peel already and it's only Tuesday.

My new favorite store is anthropology. They have the sweetest dresses. Kind of vintage and very cute. IF I had a million dollars..........

Best part of Superbowl- dessert and friends- not necessarily in that order.

I am finding I say "Crap" way too much.

Have a good one.