Goings-ons

Yep. I'm a terrible blogger. But here are some things that have been going on in our world!

In dog world, Wash passed his Canine Good Citizen test with flying colors. Here he is with his completed evaluation sheet:

Being a Canine Good Citizen means that he can follow basic commands - "sit," "down," and "stay"; he knows how to greet strangers and other dogs appropriately; he walks nicely on leash; he lets strangers handle him (brushing, feet, ears); and he doesn't become overly anxious when we leave his sight. He still doesn't like it when strange people come into the house, but he has improved tremendously from when we first got him!

Meanwhile, Chewy has been having a bit of a rough year. Starting in March, he got what looked to be a spider bite on one of his paws. He had to wear the cone of shame for a week so that he wouldn't lick it and give it a chance to heal. Then, both dogs came down with some bug that gave them both diarrhea and vomiting. A little medication cleared that up. Then, they both came down with a mild case of kennel cough. THEN, one day after daycare I noticed Chewy having some trembling in his legs, and for a few days he was particularly lethargic. The vet diagnosed some kind of back strain/injury, and he underwent two rounds of laser therapy + pain medication. I have to admit, laser therapy was kind of fun and interesting, and the "doggles" they put on him were insanely cute!

Most recently, he had some odd growths removed from his paws (seriously, both vets that looked at them said, "Wow, that's odd..." Some kind of extra paw pad growing symmetrically on both front paws) Here he is, looking ultra-pathetic shortly after coming home from the vet:

For now, he is happy and healthy. And now that the weather has stopped with the insane heat, we've been doing short training sessions almost every day to REALLY crack down on his intense anxiety around other dogs. He has improved a little, but this will definitely take some time. We wonder if his reactions are a result of some kind of attack when he was chained up/on a leash before we got him. Poor little pup...
We've had him for almost a full year now, and I can't wait for his "birthday" - we're buying him a nice new collar and getting him groomed professionally at Good Dog. I'm sure there will also be some particularly tasty treats involved!

Moving on to other subjects - AND SPEAKING OF MOVING - we are! We found a really nice townhouse for rent in Broad Ripple, half a mile at most from Good Dog so I can walk to work. Yahoo! Devin's commute will be about the same, maybe a tad shorter. The place is 1200 sq feet, 2 bed/1.5 bath, comes with washer and dryer, small fenced courtyard in the back, and the only utility we pay is electricity. Lots of closets and a bigger kitchen! And the guy who's just moved out put a doggy door in the back :) The move will be in mid to late September.

In other good news, I got the job of color guard director for a high school in downtown Indy. It's not the same level of intensity that I've done before - they only have 2 competitions all season, 2 practices a week, and a five minute show (compared to the 7 or 8 competitions, daily practices, and 10-12 minute shows I'm used to!) But I'm glad to be teaching and spinning a flag again. I'm also glad to be dancing again - the same week that guard started, I joined a contemporary dance class at a nearby studio. Let me just say that one class a week isn't enough! I want more!! Devin also got a raise and job title change last month - he is now the lighting and sound technician for the Center (formerly assistant electrician).

It's now almost time for me to head to guard practice. I have another post on deck for sometime later (maybe in another month? :-p) Thanks for reading, everyone!

All About Wash

Yes, it's been awhile since I've blogged. Sorry...we've been busy! I guess that's what happens when we both work full-time or close to it. Here is a post that I wanted to write almost 3 months ago, but it's okay that it's just now getting done - here's the story, progress, and personality of our second rescue dog, Wash!

His very first day in his new home - not quite sure what to think!

With getting my job at Good Dog came the talk, and the search for dog #2. We had wanted to get Chewy a playmate and once we knew we'd have that extra source of income, it didn't take long for us to find a new someone to bring into our lives. His name was Billy, and he was in foster care after being found as a stray at a school near Plainfield, IN (southwest of Indy). After meeting him at a PetCo adoption event and filling out the application the week before, on March 10 we introduced Chewy to his new brother, Billy - whose name we changed to Wash. Yes, it's a bit unusual; he's named after a character from the cancelled TV show "Firefly" and the movie "Serenity." Here's the original Wash, expert spaceship pilot:

Wash and Chewy were best friends almost immediately, but once we got them both home and they played into the evening hours, Chewy started giving us this look like, "Soooo...when's he going back to HIS house?" He wasn't the biggest fan of sharing our attention with his new brother at first (who it turns out is a bit of an attention HOG), but the two of them are still like peas in a pod.

So here's a few more details about Mr. Wash:
We really can't tell what he's mixed with. Corgi and possibly yellow lab? He's about ten pounds bigger than Chewy.
His ears are very bouncy when he walks. It's ridiculously adorable.
He has a VERY waggly tail. Naturally, it goes nuts when we come home after work. But sometimes even if you just look at him or say his name, his tail will reveal how pleased he is.  :)
He came to us with a thick, plush undercoat and he was as soft as a teddy bear. He has since shed this, and now he is less soft and looks quite a bit scrawnier than in these photos!
Like Chewy, he LOVES treats, but compared to Chewy he is much better with accepting simple praise as a reward. Chewy's attitude: "You don't have a treat? Well then why did you make me do stuff??"
Unlike Chewy, he doesn't go completely insane when he sees other dogs (yay!) (Chewy is also making small improvements with this)
Also unlike Chewy, he is wary of strangers, ESPECIALLY when they come into the apartment. But in the 3 months we've had him, he has improved tremendously with this. Between going to the dog park, daycare, and his new obedience class (class #3 was this past Sunday), he has gotten much better accepting the presence of strangers and often will seek attention from them. He meets new people several times a week and we can see him changing before our eyes, which is so rewarding. It's like he's discovering how much fun life can be; when we brought him home, he wouldn't stick his head out the car window, and he didn't really know how to play with toys. Now he ALWAYS has his head out the window, and will ask us to play tug o' war with him the way Chewy did. He still tends to be generally afraid of unfamiliar things, and he especially hates any kind of spray bottle. Hmm.

Also NOT a fan of baths!

Mornings consist of Wash whining to be let out of his crate (as early as 6:30, as late as 10). We let both dogs out and Wash will hop in bed and sandwich himself between us - sometimes rather violently! - and Chewy will pop up to say good morning and then take window lookout duty. The two of them do most of their playtime after their meals and they love to chase each other in circles around the couch.

 

 

They do a good job wearing each other out!

Look how curious the puppy is! (just this past Sunday)

In summary, we now have two dogs who each has his own unique set of idiosyncrasies. They are great dogs and we are working to make sure they are the BEST dogs they can possibly be. They make us laugh every day, and even though it hasn't even been a year yet, we can't imagine life without them! I'd never had a dog before Chewy, and now there's two....I'm just pleased as punch :)

Until next time-
Kathleen

As of late...

Man oh man, has life been crazy! Apologies for not writing a pre-honeymoon post, but most of those final days were spent editing photos and making last-minute arrangements. I hope you all got the chance to follow our adventures on the travel blog, but in case you'd like to catch up on what you missed, all the details of our adventures can be found here. I've also posted a photo album on facebook, and we're in the final editing stages of a video. All I can say to summarize is that we definitely fell in love with Hawai'i and can't wait to go back for more.

Upon our return (in the midst of Superbowl frenzy) we picked up Chewy from my sister's house, had one day to chill, and then went up to Wixom to celebrate Devin's dad's birthday. His mom had arranged for all 3 siblings to be there as a surprise, and it was a wonderful weekend of disc golf, game time, and general merriment.

Visiting Grandma K in the nursing home

Chewy with the birthday boy

They wore each other out!

Unfortunately, this blessed weekend also cursed 7 out of the 8 of us with a nasty stomach virus. I'll spare the gory details (although I feel I should add for posterity that this was the first time I had to puke out of a car window...), but after the worst had passed, Devin and I were cooped up for about 4 days, napping, watching movies, and just being bums in general. Extended honeymoon? Kinda, but not really...

So Devin finally made it back to work and I finally picked up on my to-do list - edited another round of photos, changed my name, submitted photos to a contest at TACA (was accepted!), and cooked a delicious vegetarian dinner for my love on Valentine's Day. Now, we aren't strict vegetarians, but partly because of cost and partly because of our health, I as chief grocery shopper only ever buy deli meat for sandwiches, and I wanted to challenge myself to cook something delicious, satisfying, and healthy. Anyways. 2 of the 3 recipes were found on Pinterest, which was a fun little foray in itself. For the appetizer I made strawberry-basil-goat cheese-balsamic bruschetta, and our main course was spicy cocoa carrots and butternut squash gnocchi. The gnocchi turned out pretty dry (probably because I disobeyed about 1/3 of the recipe...) but the bruschetta was amazing and the carrots were quite tasty, with the added bonus of being very easy to make. And here are some hopefully mouthwatering photos of my creations:

Bruschetta

Spicy coca roasted carrots

No photos of the gnocchi. It was ugly.


Earlier in the week, I happened to be perusing craigslist out of curiosity when I came upon a job listing at Good Dog Hotel & Spa...where I actually had a friend already working! Hey! There's some hope! So I messaged her and she talked to her managers. I applied on Friday the 10th, got a call on Saturday, interviewed on Wednesday and started work on Thursday the 16th. WOW. So Thurs-Sun I put in about 25 hours in the daycare, and while overwhelming at times, I can say that I definitely like the job - cool people, great dogs, relaxed atmosphere, AND I'll be able to bring Chewy with me. It's not anywhere near a "normal" job but then, I'm not really a normal person, am I? ;-) Really, I've wanted to work with animals for about as long as I can remember. First it was as a dolphin trainer, but I'm not a strong enough swimmer; then it was veterinarian for awhile until I realized I was much too squeamish. Marine biologist was a consideration until I heard about the tedium of things like measuring the acidity and salt content of seawater...sorry, I'm not really scientist material! But this. This is cool. And it's already under my skin. When your job is something your mind wanders to when you're driving to your mom's house, you're probably on the right track.

I'll end it here. My husband is on his way home, and I've got paczkis waiting for him. :-D Happy Fat Tuesday!

The New Year

Hello, loyal readers! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and left 2011 with happy memories and lessons learned. Devin and I had a great week visiting both of our families in IN, MI, and IL. Lots of driving - a big THANK YOU to my mom for giving us some gas cards for Christmas! I plan to post all of our photos on Facebook soon, but for now, here's the highlight reel:

Chewy got a present!! ...not looking too excited though...

He's too polite to tear it open in front of everyone, so "cousin" Daniel helped!

First Christmas photo!

First FAMILY photo!

In Wixom - the littlest member of the family :)

ANGRY NOMS

Chewy died for awhile.

Baby gets passed around...

Fun with Uncle Devin :)

...and Great-Grandma K. (winner!)

My husband in action!

Perfect :)

Having some playtime with Chewy...

...but he died again.

Ahh. Can't wait til we all get to hang out again ;-)

Onward, to 2012!

For pretty much the first time ever, I have set some New Year's resolutions, as follows...

-Stop sleeping in. Increases productivity! Devin has been great about helping me with this one so far, I just have to stop going back to bed after he leaves for work...it might sound lame, but this one is probably the hardest to deal with. I have REM issues.
-Keep showers under 15 minutes. Saves time, resources, and money! But oh, how I love my 1/2 hour showers...
-Spend (on average) 1 hour each day making art (including recreational photography, not including photo editing time). Must admit I've failed dismally at this one so far. Partially because we were keeping ourselves very busy with improving the apartment for a few days...partially because now, I can't stop sleeping. But I've ideas!
-Go to the gym at least once a week (I'd like to run a 5k this year). I realize it will probably take more workout time than this to run a decent 5k, but I have to start somewhere. Another starting point: pick a specific 5k race to enter!
-Buy more healthy food. Cut down on processed junk. I'd already started this one, but I'm going to be more diligent. I'll be buying gluten-free when I can; trying to buy more produce and actually COOK more, rather than boiling noodles and throwing some sauce on it...meat consumption is at a minimum. Fast food happens less than once a month. I rarely buy junk food, and never buy soda. I want to keep both of us healthy for as long as possible!

Maybe writing them down and sharing them with the world will help me stay on track. Help keep me accountable, friends!

On a more somber note, one of my close friends' mother passed away on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately I know too well how she feels; fortunately, I know how she feels. I am glad that I was able to take some time to be with her and help her with some of the funeral arrangements...but there is so much more to say on the subject of friends who have lost loved ones that I'd like to devote a separate post to it. To the tune of "here's what they're probably going through." Sometime. Later.

........
As 2012 goes, it's been interesting so far. We did have a couple of shopping sprees with Christmas/wedding money at IKEA and Target. There's still a few items on the "to get" list, but our place feels much more lived-in now! Photos of those endeavors will be posted soon.

In dog world, last week we went to the humane society and made a belated Christmas donation to help sponsor a dog's medical expenses (she's a sweet, adorable border collie/basset hound mix with a raging case of heartworm...poor girl!) and we also bought an annual membership to their dog park. We've been twice already, and Chewy LOVES it (and we love watching him - we'll have to take some video to show everyone!) He definitely still has some social skills to learn, but he's already figured out to beware the big dogs - a Great Dane/greyhound mix ran him down several times his first day! So there's my plug for dog parks: your dog will have fun, and you will too. Even if you're not feeling your best or having a bad day, this will make it better. Just be prepared for everyone to come home dirty!

On the honeymoon front, we've booked our lodgings, our inter-island flight, a morning snorkel session (possibly swimming with wild dolphins/whales/turtles/etc!), and a volcano hike; our rental cars are reserved and our transportation to and from IND is taken care of. We've purchased new bathing suits (neither of us had bought one in at least 7 years) and new hiking boots (for me); a new point n' shoot waterproof digital camera, extra memory cards for all 3 of our cameras. Yeah, this deserves a separate post so I can properly share all of our plans. * mental note*

I really need to post more so that these aren't so insanely long. If you're still with me, I applaud you, and will make you read no further. In closing: good night. And have a pleasant tomorrow :)

Special Wishes & Advice (via guestbook pages)

Seasons greetings, everyone!
So, as previously mentioned, Devin and I went with a unique guestbook from The Guestbook Store for our wedding. Instead of simply signing their name in a book, each guest received a double-sided placemat of sorts, where they answered questions, drew pictures, and shared special wishes and advice.

YOU CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HOW AWESOME THEY TURNED OUT!! Not because the artwork was immaculate or because each and every sentiment tugged firmly at our heartstrings - really, it was because of the opposite! Most of the drawings were stick figures (making them AWESOME) and we got quite a few colorful responses that made us LOL (a few of them actually couldn't be shared on here...). Oh, how I wish I could scan and post each guestbook entry we received...but, the next best option is for me to share all the wishes and advice for us, from guests young and old; single, engaged, married; hilarious, serious, and everything in between. I might also end up taking pictures of some of our favorite drawings...but for now, enjoy the gems that our guests shared with us - maybe it applies to you, too ;-)

"Special Wishes for Us"
-That you make Christ the head of your home.
-Joy in your marriage - agape love!
-That you keep Jesus Christ as the center of your life together - and may you always encourage each other!
-Happiness, joy, and all that rot. Above and beyond that, I hope and pray that in 2061, you can look back and say, "You know, it hasn't always been easy, but I'm so glad we stuck it out and worked through our disagreements. You are  my best friend, and I love you more today than when we were married 50 years ago."
-That you both continue to grow in love and happiness on your journey together.
-That the Lord will remain in your hearts and home; that your love for each other will grow.
-Many many happy years.
-May your love and joy grow every day and may God give you peace and strength for the days that are tough.
-To love & live; to care & give; to have & hold; to love ever bold
-Some babies to snuggle; and may all your life's ups and downs be in between the sheets!
-Redheaded children! (Tyler...)
-No redheaded children. (...Monique!)
-Always keep laughing! You both have such great personalities. 
-Self-knowledge; flexibility; pursuit of your passion; 10+ kids (I'm NOT kidding on this one...)
-Enjoy your many wonderful years together, you lovebirds!
-To ALWAYS be as happy as you are today; to always be quick to forgive; be a good listener; that each of you will always think of the other first, and yourself second.
-God bless you both in your new life together and your life with Him. I love you both!
-That you have a happy life (I know you will because you have a great outlook on life) and that God be at the center of it all!
-Enjoy every day together, the good and the bad. Have a blast in Hawaii/Oahu!
-May you know unbounded joy, unconditional love, and the strength to weather all of life's storms in each other's arms, eyes, and heart.
-Live long and prosper.
-Long life, full of opportunities for growth and love.
-Love God, and you WILL be happy!
-That you live the joy and love that God has made you to experience.
-My wish for you is to have a God-centered marriage and life, and a love that will continue to grow, even as it changes through the years, a love that will get you through the tough times as well as the good times - a beautiful and blessed life!
-That you love each other always and live to celebrate your 75th wedding anniversary together - I'll be watching!
-A life filled with laughter, love, and each other!
-Live long, be happy, and celebrate each and every day.
-A lifetime full of laughter, love, music, art, with good health and joyful hearts!
-Remember this day and the special memories yet to come
-No disease, & puppies, & maybe a kid or 2
-400 BABIES
-Take what you can! Give nothing back! Yo! Ho! (Capt. Jack Sparrow)
-Pick one another day after day; learning the love that comes with time
-I have no doubts that you two will make an amazing life together. Enjoy yourselves.
-I hope you guys stay as annoyingly happy as ever and as deeply in love as you are now (cause both are ridiculously obvious!)
-Have beautiful babies!
-Have a great time in Hawaii!
-I wish many special wishes that are especially special; that is my wish...
-To drink 1 gallon of milk in 10 minutes
-I wish for you to get 3 more wishes.
-Years of happiness and lots and lots of fat babies.
-A life that is full of happiness, joy, and love. I've never known a more perfect couple. I hope your life together is as wonderful as you two are.
-A long and happy life together, of course! And plenty more silly memories...and maybe some red-haired children.
-Great success!
-A lifetime full of happiness, family and friends.
-Many years of blessings, happy memories and frequent visits from Jerry
-I wish both of you a life full of happiness, creativity, love, and most importantly - sillyness! :)

"Any Advice for the Newlyweds?" 

"You should..."
- Express your thanks to your spouse when he or she does something for you; practice saying 'ours' instead of 'mine.'
- Have a date night once a week.
-Learn when to and when not to speak - and just because you think something does not mean you should say it!
-Keep God as a key member in your relationship and remain in His word; if it's late and you're tired and you still are arguing - go to bed. In the morning, it won't be as important as it seemed the night before.
-"Put on the mind of Christ." Laugh, giggle, enjoy the time - it goes by quickly.
-Be humble - humility will go a long way. Forgive each other. Think of each other first.
-Have many grandchildren for your parents to enjoy!
-Don't sweat the small stuff. PS - it's all small stuff!
-Come and visit more often!
-LOTS of communication; lots of silliness - it keeps things light; lots and lots of love!
-Laugh. Facetime when apart. Have an adventure
-Go on adventures! Also, always keep things in perspective. The stresses in life will always pass! Enjoy every moment of peace.
-Tune out everyone's unsolicited advice, especially when it begins with "you should..." (There will be a lot.)
-Never go to bed angry, never lose those 3 hour midnight conversations, and make cake for no reason.
-Follow your heart...give each other space.
-Love each other 100% all the time; be ready to say "I'm sorry;" do the unexpected!
-Make a 5 year plan, a 10 year plan, and a 20 year plan...then try to figure out what to do tomorrow afternoon! Take some chances while you're young (and old!)
-Never go to bed without resolving a fight - no, seriously. Cherish each other. Laugh - a lot. Remember that the flip side of the things that annoy you are the things you really admire. Say "I love you" everyday. Cook together. Have no secrets. Tell each other about your day. Have big adventures. Have small adventures. Have LOTS of adventures. Always remember the way the other person looked at you today. Don't forget we're always here for you.
-Believe half of what you see, none of what you hear.
-Develop selective hearing - ignore the crabbiness at the end of a tired day.
-Remain friends!
-Keep your sense of humor - you're going to need it!
-Always kiss each other when parting, waking, going to sleep...and in between, optionally.
-Respect each other.
-Keep having fun; say I love you at least once a day; laugh a lot; and, if need be, learn to COMMUNICATE!
-Do something nice for one another - even (especially) when you don't want to. You need to lose yourself to the other - hard to do, I am still learning.
-Always have a dog in your life.
-Never leave less than 1/2 cup of milk in the fridge; never leave only the crust piece in the bread; and use separate knives for the peanut butter and jelly!
-Don't sweat the small stuff; always communicate; make time for fun.
-Remember that the definition of true intimacy is honesty. Be honest, stay honest.
-Stay in touch with your younger cousin ;-)
-Cook with your stereo cranked up (adds extra flava!) Always laugh and play like kids - it slows down the aging process.
-Respect the sea or she'll gobble you up in one foul swoop (Capt. Jack Sparrow)
-Stay young at heart and always volunteer to babysit ;-)
-...could, and would. But by all means, don't worry about it.
-Keep your childhood in mind.
-Kathleen should never dye her hair (it's pretty!) but Devin should dye his blue & purple again :)
-Try to beat the Duggers and get a TV show. Don't buy your kids a pony, they are very expensive!
-Really like each other a lot...
-Learn how to "Dougie"
-Try to get self-raising children, it's lots easier.
-Diet! Don't mistake children for food!
-Don't forget to tell each other that you love each other.
-Count your blessings, and remember to fall in love all over again each day. :)
-Communicate! Don't assume they know what you're thinking, or the other way around!
-When you're mad, lay off the ginger jokes...
-Make each other laugh once each day
-Just remember you may wear the pants, but she picks them out.
-Suspenders make to outfit!
-Laugh always...and keep Jerry around!


In case I don't do more bloggings the rest of the week - I (we!) hope you all have a safe and wonderful Christmas!

The Story.

First blog as "an old married lady!" <--- my aunts kept calling me this/asking if I felt like this last Sunday...the answer is NO! :)

Naturally and obviously, time got away from me during those last few weeks before the wedding. Especially the week before, blogging was out of the question! So now I get to recap and tell everyone my experiences of my final days as a single woman...

Let's begin our story in the area of Nov. 28th. We had just finished all of our Thanksgiving travels (very fun!), and were now getting down to the wire with all the things still left to do. Because we were making the playlist for the reception ourselves, Devin had asked a tech friend in TN to come up and "babysit" the console during the night and also help set up all the sound and lights beforehand. Unfortunately, with about ten days to go, we found out that he had a work conflict and couldn't make it. ....Oh. And so began Devin's mad search for a last-minute replacement.

On Dec. 1 I agreed (along with another main member) to shoot the first TWO event assignments for IPC (Indianapolis Photography Cooperative). They were back-to-back that day and both were very successful; everyone we talked to was extremely nice and really excited about the work we were doing! Both organizations have asked us to do more, and I got to hand out several business cards to other people who could use our services! Anyways, it was nice to get out and shoot for a few hours, and focus on something other than the wedding. But then for those last 9 or 10 days, we really worked hard to pull everything together. Devin worked until the Tuesday before, but every spare moment was spent mixing the music and arranging our light n' sound rental & transportation. With about 5 days to go, he found another tech guy to help us out, which was a big relief for him (I mostly stayed out of *his* wedding business with the attitude, "it will get figured out somehow. The wedding is still happening!")

At one week until the wedding, I personally had the worst day I'd had in a long time - not at all related to any wedding/relationship stuff, just lots of unpleasantness. Devin worked most of the day, and soon after he left that morning I witnessed a man beating up a woman right outside our apartment (yes, I called the cops). Then, since it wasn't very cold out and Chewy hadn't gotten much exercise lately, I took him down the road to one of our favorite spots - a nature park with trails through tall grass and a stand of trees. We were heading back to the car (which is parked off of a rather busy road), with him straining heavily at his leash, when the leash BROKE and he tore off, full-tilt, directly towards the road. All I could do was watch helplessly because he's way faster than me..and then he turned down a  side trail. Gah! Thank the Lord! I knew I'd never catch him so I just walked in that direction, and found him cozying up to a pair of basset hounds (and their owners, who grabbed his harness) that he had to have smelled a hundred yards off where we had been walking. Nice one, Chewmeister. Let's head back to the car while my heart rate returns to normal. Oh, you're too wound up to sit nicely in the backseat? That's okay, those muddy paw prints add a rustic charm to the interior...

Several other frustrations later, my nerves were shot and I pretty much gave up on the day.

Unfortunately, on Tuesday morning I woke up with the first signs of a cold - sore throat and angry sinuses. I said NOO WAY and started taking the maximum dose of Airborne (3x a day) and stuck to it the rest of the week. I could tell my body was still fighting something, but my symptoms pretty much disappeared, so HERE IS MY OFFICIAL PLUG FOR AIRBORNE. DUDE IT WORKS.

Devin's first day off, Wednesday, consisted of LOTS of running around - picking up printed signs from FedEx, WalMart to buy food for everyone staying with us, TACA in Anderson to have our final meeting about setup...I know there was more that I'm not remembering, but the point is that this day marked the beginning of sleeplessness when I went to take a nap so I could chill, and just....couldn't. Laid in bed for 45 minutes. "Well, I feel better so I guess I'll get up and do one of the things that keeps running around my brain." Once I was able to cross several more things off the to-do list, I started to relax - in time for Devin's brother Tyler to arrive! Yay! Our first wedding guest :)

Thursday was another busy one. The boys left around 10:30 am to start collecting various lighting gear, and I headed to Kokomo around noon to begin my pampering - a bridal body polish from my sister's best friend Kristina, who works at Healing Hands Natural Therapy Spa. It was a blissful hour of full-body sugar scrub and hot towels, and I was thoroughly relaxed afterwards. aaaaahhhhh...
The evening was spent at my mom's house; she and my sister helped me put together programs and assemble the small pennant flags that we used for our sendoff. I/we accomplished everything that could be done. However, once I was in bed I was thinking of everything happening the NEXT day; long story short, I might have gotten 3 hours of sleep. Bah.

Friday morning: us girls (me, mom, sister) got up early(ish) to get pedicures together. I also stopped by the mall to get my engagement ring cleaned, pick up some more Airborne and also some bubble bath for our night in the Jacuzzi suite :) It was pretty surreal to be walking around the mall I used to hang out in as a 13-year-old, the day before my wedding. This is where time seemed to speed up considerably; suddenly I was with my sister, picking up my nephew from school, then we were on our way to TACA, then we arrived at TACA (which was already BEAUTIFUL), and then we rehearsed, and then rehearsal was done, and then we were bowling, and then I saw Devin for the last time before the ceremony, and then I was hanging at our apartment with the 5 other people staying there (yeah, it was crowded)...mercifully, I was able to sleep, but woke up about an hour early and just laid in bed in varying states of nervousness.

By some miracle of wedding day fairy magic, everything that morning ran on time. I walked into my hair appointment at noon - Angelica, a friend from high school, works at Bab & Co Hairdesigners in Carmel, and she did an awesome job on my hair and managed to finish about 5 minutes early. It was great to hear "We're all ready!" when I called my sister to tell her I was on my way back.

HOWEVER.

We ended up behind schedule because of a last-minute Wendy's run, where, naturally, the order got screwed up and the whole process was slow to begin with. Oh, well.

When I got to TACA, it was 2:30 - only about 15 minutes late. I already had my dress there, and in my dress bag had I also stored my shoes, jewelry, and warm comfy wrap to lessen the chances of forgetting anything important. All the bridesmaids still had to get their dresses on, but they had all at least prepared by wearing all the necessary *undergarments.* The additional complication came when my sister's zipper broke, and my aunt had to emergency-sew her into her dress, with her wrap attached (good thing she was matron of honor...it was okay for her to be different...) I didn't get to see this process because my mom and my bridesmaid Kate were lacing me into MY dress, but I did get to hear the delightful exclamations of "Shit!" coming from their general direction...at one point Uncle Tim, our officiant, popped his head through the door to ask if we were ready, and the resounding unanimous response he got was "NO!"

So, dear guests, I really have no idea just HOW late we were in starting the ceremony, but now you know why it happened...

And then it was a crazy wonderful blur of gettin' hitched and taking pictures and a brief but AWESOME limo ride with our wedding party, and the toasts were AMAZING and the food was AMAZING and then baby Andrew knocked over my Irish coffee and then we danced to a song that I didn't know would be our first dance until we were in the limo and then I danced with New Dad and then my mom and then everybody partied and there were family and friends and hugs and kisses and love and more pictures and champagne and other drinks and pretty lights!

Yay!

And then the night ended and our 45 minute drive to the hotel took about 3 seconds and then we arrived

and stuff :)

and then I woke up married to my one true love.


So begins our new life together.  S'wonderful.


...I noted earlier tonight that our marriage has already lasted longer than Kim Kardashian's. Score!

Coming up next: the delightful tidbits we received from our guestbook pages :)

A real post?

Okay, okay, okay. I've become a terrible blogger. I guess I just got a little bored with all the posting of every minute wedding detail, plus life itself is keeping us plenty busy! But, at 4 weeks out, here's the standings:

TACA is paid in full.
The menu has been set with MCL. They just need a final head count.
I have all jewelry and makeup, and my dress is currently at the tailor's, to be picked up next Friday.
My shower and bachelorette party are on Saturday!
Devin has his suit, but it still needs to be altered (mostly just a hem).
I've started paying obsessive attention to my skin and have made several (non-expensive) purchases of items that will hopefully ensure its PERFECTION.
Guestbook has been purchased and delivered from The Guestbook Store (previously mentioned - I decided not to DIY because, well, this was just way more convenient!)
Devin's Uncle Tim will be our officiant, which is just solid awesome.
My former guitar teacher, Gary Rhum, will provide our ceremony music, and that's LIQUID awesome (which is better? You decide!).
Cake design is taken care of. Thanks, Aunt Rita!
Honeymoon is booked for Hawaii, Jan 24-Feb 1, 2012. Thanks, Amy & Travis!


...and there are quite a few more things that could go on this list, but you're probably bored by now. We definitely still have some to-dos, but they're pretty minor and will get taken care of in time.

In non-wedding news, The Chewydog has been neutered, fully vaccinated, and microchipped, and is happily munching on a giant rawhide bone behind me. He has become quite the goofy cuddlebug and we love him dearly. We've taught him to shake, speak, stay, and wait. He's such a quick learner on top of being adorable and happy-go-lucky that I think he'd make a wonderful therapy dog. We'll just have to wait a few more years for him to chill out a little bit...
Here's a more recent picture - we've done a lot of trimming on his face and ears!

LongDog says "whatevs"...love this photo by Devin!

I now volunteer at the Humane Society of Indianapolis for 2 hours a week as a Canine Companion, but I'm going to try to switch to photography soon because, hey, they need some good ones. We'll see how long I can resist bringing home a new addition...

Speaking of photography, I'm also getting involved with a new organization called the Indianapolis Photography Cooperative. The goal is to provide volunteer photography services for local non-profits as well as photography workshops. It's hard to balance everything right now, but I hope with the new year I'll be able to do some great volunteer work, get my name out there and maybe even do some teaching! Not to mention the great benefit of being a "founding member" and helping to build from the ground up - could lead to a (dare I say it?!) real career...

I'd say that's enough for now. Will I manage to post again before I'm a married woman?! We'll see :-p