A Christmas Story…er…I Mean “Engagement Story”

Well, it has been long enough, let me get back to the “engagement story” – which kind of reminds me of A Christmas Story (only because it takes place at Christmastime and instead of my wanting the Red Ryder BB gun which will shoot my eye out….I want a big, pretty diamond ring!)

So, after putting up with several days of my sweetie teasing me with the ring box in his pocket and dangling the box in front of me, Christmas morning rolled around. Christmas Eve afternoon we left his parents’ home and headed to my parents’ house – a 3 hour drive, which ended up being a bit more due to traffic and weather.

What had me a little worried about when I would actually get the ring were some ground rules I had set years ago; that and the fact that Jon wanted to ask both my father and my papa for permission to marry me. Those ground rules happened to be (way before I knew I was even getting a ring) that under no circumstance should Jon ever propose to me on the following days:

1) My birthday
2) Valentine’s Day
3) Our anniversary
4) Christmas
5) Thanksgiving
6) New Years

Through my work, I found that the above occasions are the most popular and common days for people to become engaged…so I didn’t want it. (I mean, I would take it, of course and did….but I think I was caught up in the notion of my sweetie doing something really fabulous – or maybe I was just being too demanding, either could be true.)

So, now that I knew there was a ring in Jon’s pocket AND it was Christmas Eve, I thought I was really in trouble!!! (My sweetie was also cruel enough to keep telling me that the ring was not mine until he chose to give it to me! What a meanie…)

Anyway, as we all know, it ended up working out.

More to come.

XOXO
M

Wedding Registry Update – Williams Sonoma

Hi everyone! As I mentioned, as I update things regarding the registry, I will post about it.  Slowly but surely we are getting it done.  There will be one more store we register with, but I am not sure if it will end up being Pottery Barn or Bed Bath and Beyond.  Jon might choose something entirely different.  Who knows.

We updated the Williams Sonoma registry.  It is not really complete since Jon and I were torn on some things to add.  Just like with the Crate and Barrel registry, it will probably undergo some modifications over the next few weeks and months.

These are there for your reference, your enjoyment, your gift-giving fun (which is not required, but we will never refuse a gift – ha ha), your “what are they thinking asking for that?!?!” moments, and whatever else you want to use them for.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

XOXO
M & J

Funny Thought About the Other Bridesmaids – Melissa & Alicia

I was just looking at the last two posts, “Happy Birthday to the Nana of the Bride” and “Happy Birthday to the Bridesmaid Emily” and thought to myself, it’s a damn shame that Melissa and Alicia are not celebrating their birthdays this week; I could give them ALL a shout out and introduction in a row.  (If you didn’t pick up on it, Melissa and Alicia are my other two bridesmaids besides Maid of Honor, Jennifer, and Emily…)

Funnily enough, both Melissa and Alicia were born in November — days apart, in fact.  But that will be after the wedding, so here’s a belated happy birthday from 2007 or a super early happy birthday for 2008.  See — I’m the first to wish you a happy birthday this year (don’t forget it, especially when I forget to call on the “big” day later this year.)

Oh, and you guys will get your own special “announcement and introduction” posts in a little while.

XOXO

M

Happy Birthday to the Bridesmaid Emily!

Happy Birthday to Bridesmaid Emily!

As it so happens, one of my oldest friends in the whole wide world is having a birthday today (a day right after my Nana!) and she also happens to be one of my very special bridesmaids. I have known Emily since the first day of freshman year of high school, which was a very long time ago…when you actually do the math and figure out just HOW OLD Emily turned today!

Ha ha ha. I had to do it. Happy Birthday! ¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

Anyway, Emily and I met the first day of high school and we were not what you call “fast friends”. In fact, we were at lunch and she spilled a Coke all over my pants and I simply did not respond well to that. We eventually became friends later that year, probably over a mutual hate of Spanish class; and it’s a good thing too, because for the next three years of high school we were destined to have almost every class together.

We went through high school, I taught Emily to drive (and with her record it’s pretty obvious that I did), countless concerts and shows, several [hundred] nights with the parents out of town and high school drinking escapades (that’s a whole other blog…), nervous breakdowns, emotional whirlwinds, Amnesty concerts and car washes, driving across open fields off of I-95 in Jupiter, car accidents, My So-Called Life (it was OUR life), college escapades, boyfriends and girlfriends, brothers and sisters, parents, engagements, weddings, losses, and everything else in between. I can honestly say that Em is not only one of my oldest friends, but probably the best one there is.

Emily also happens to be Mommy to Meya (my surrogate niece – I am Auntie to her) and wife to Jeremy (who has grown to be part of my extended family as well) but she will always just be Emily to me.

We hope you have a very happy birthday, Emily! We love you lots!

XOXO
M, J, and S

P.S. Oh, there WILL be a picture up here…I just wanted to get this up before your birthday ended!

Happy Birthday to the Nana of the Bride!

Happy Birthday to the Nana of the Bride!

My sweetie, our cat, and I wanted to let everyone know that today is actually a very special day. Today, my Nana, Connie, is turning 81 years old! You would never know it though, since she acts like she is 81 going on 18. Nana is very active, very opinionated, very smart, always right (or so she says), can diagnose any medical ailment within minutes, very hip, and also a very chic lady. (We went on a cruise last year with Nana and Papa, and let me tell you, Nana had a different outfit planned with all the accessories for daytime, lunch, and dinner! She was always dressed to the nines!)

Here’s a recent picture of our very cool Nana, it’s from Christmas 2007…if she doesn’t like it, we’ll put a different one up.

 

We wanted to thank you, Nana, for hosting the Parents Meet and Greet with Papa two weeks ago. It was an overall success, I think! (And now you can relax since you were finally able to check out Jon’s family.)

Have a very, very happy birthday, Nana! Enjoy your day.

XOXO
M, J, and S

You Can Subscribe to Wedding Whirlwind Blog Now!

Hi everyone!

So I had wanted to put this nifty little tool that allows our readers to subscribe to the blog and get email updates every time I put up a new post or update. As many of you already are very much aware, I am no computer guru, except on my super lucky days. However, when Melissa (of Melissa and Patrick fame) emailed me this morning and asked if I could do it, I decided to research it all again.

If you would like to keep up with our daily happenings and our story from this point on (and there will be plenty to read as we get closer and closer to the wedding and I get closer and closer to freaking out, I promise) just take a gander over to the right of the blog, in the sidebar.

You’ll see the title “Subscribe” and underneath that “Subscribe to Wedding Whirlwind by Email” — if you would like to get emails automatically so you stay up to the very last minute with how everything is going, click that link. Then fill in your email address and follow the instructions to confirm your subscription.

After that, just watch your email for the confirmation email and follow the directions. Then, voila! You should be subscribed.

Emily, my dear, this should help you out a lot. Call me if you need help.

I took the liberty of signing Melissa up for the subscription. She’s our first real fan!

XOXO

M, J, and S

Wedding Registry Update – Crate and Barrel

Well, instead of the next installment of our “engagement story” I am going to talk a little bit about the wedding registry, which I’ve gotten some questions about. We had been putting it off and putting it off, mainly because we I wanted to hit the store and use the infamous, handy dandy registration gun.

So we finally did, this past weekend, at the first place. We selected Crate and Barrel, simply because I am a Crate and Barrel addict in many senses. I have never enjoyed a home goods store as much as I do that one – maybe it is because I really really really like the one in SoHo. Or maybe I just like kitchen equipment like I like tools. (I’m not especially good at using either.)

We got up early Sunday morning – we were out of bed and out of the house by 10:00 AM – which, as many of you know, is quite a feat to get my sweetie up and out of bed, especially on a weekend, much earlier than 11:00. (It’s always – just another 15 minutes…another half hour.) We hit the store and were there for about an hour.

It was quite ironic that the one day I get him up and out of bed and into the city is the one day that every place we try to go is closed…will open in 30 minutes, will open in one hour. I was in complete awe that we were out and about so early and completely frustrated that there was nowhere to go!

So, I took him to Le Pain Quotidien, a great little place my friend Melissa introduced me to. In fact, I had walked by it several times (both locations) and never even noticed them. But it’s absolutely divine, so if you are ever in the New York City area (or any of their other locations) be sure to check it out. And guess what, my sweetie actually enjoyed it – we split a GIANT hot chocolate and croissants while we killed time and toiled over our wedding guest list. (We’re having issues with the amount of people we can invite – the venue is not large – but that’s another blog post.)

After our morning snack, we hit Crate and Barrel, got the gun, and started shooting and scanning right away! It was so much fun! I had a blast! So we went through and added some things we’d like, and now I can safely respond to the much asked question, “Have you even started your registry yet?”

Yes, we have. And we’re not done – we’ll be getting our lists up at probably Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and/or Bed Bath and Beyond. We’re not 100% sure, so we’re playing around with the ideas.

The first mostly complete registry list is at Crate and Barrel. Check it out if you want…

Oh, and if you’re wondering…Karla – it really is called a “reamer.”

XOXO
M, J, and S

The Ring’s Arrival: Twas Shortly Before Christmas

Let’s get back to the next installment of the engagement story, since several of you have asked me to finish it before I discuss anything else. Well, here goes. And it really is not as involved as you may think. Refreshing our memories, I had found an engagement ring that I really loved, but was out of our range. So, we talked to the great folks over at Abazias Diamonds and had the ring specially designed for us – pretty close to what I originally saw, so that was very exciting!Flashback to Friday, December 21^st 2007. It’s my sweetie’s birthday (he turned VERY OLD, ha ha) and I am especially giddy with my good friend Melissa in Gainesville. We’ve had a girls’ day out – eyebrow waxing, wine shopping, lunch out, and general wedding talk, despite the fact that at that point, Jon and I were not officially engaged. We were still at that “unofficially official” stage. I head to Orlando for his birthday and to spend the few days before Christmas with my future in-laws.

The entire time I was entirely too excited about the prospect of my shiny new ring being delivered to my future in-laws’ home that Saturday morning. You see, the ring, as it was custom-made, took several weeks (which felt like several centuries) to be ready, so I was more than ready to get engaged! I knew the ring was on its way, which also meant that I was about to become the future “Mrs. My Sweetie” (since I haven’t yet decided what my name will be!)

So, the UPS man arrived, and I answered the door with so much excitement I may have given him a coronary. I was the only one there…well, my sweetie’s dad was somewhere, but I wasn’t sure, and my sweetie had left me alone to go pick up some breakfast. I signed for the package and set it down in the dining room, but let me tell you, it was calling my name…

My sweetie arrived in a panic, seeing that the UPS delivery truck was still outside the house. I am the type of person to ask and ask what the gift is, to shake the packages, and all that jazz. However, I had done nothing of the sort, except to don my engagement dress, and wait patiently (well, not quite patiently, I had called Melissa and Patrick as a diversion).

So, with Aunt Thelma and my sweetie’s dad, I sat at the kitchen table as Jon nervously opened the UPS package. And then the other package. And then the other package, finally to reveal a small box. He opened it and refused to let me see, although Aunt Thelma and his father took a peek. At which point, I decided to let him know that I “needed” to at least see it to make sure it was right! So he let me sneak a peek, too.

Oh, and for the entire weekend leading up to Christmas, we still weren’t engaged. He carried the box in his pocket day and night and every now and then would pull it out of his pocket and say, “Hey, are you ready for this now?” to which I would immediately reply, “Yes!”.

In response, he’d always say, “Well, not yet.” And so it went for several days – the torture! He laughed constantly.

XOXO
M and J

Announcing the Maid of Honor

Well, I would like to announce my Maid of Honor, but I can’t seem to remember her name…something with a “J”…or maybe not. Hmmm, I don’t know, I think I forgot. (Those of you who know what I did with the family holiday card ON ACCIDENT will understand what I am talking about!)

I’d like to make a formal announcement that I have asked my little sister, Jennifer, to be my Maid of Honor. As many of you know, there is quite an age gap in between my sister and me. The gap is 11 years to be exact. I basically moved out of my parents’ home when she was five (for college) and never really moved back in, so I saw her grow up from a distance, on random weekend visits home, the holidays, and so on.

When Jennifer was small, she always told me that she thought I should have a baby at 28, so she would be 17. I am not quite sure what her reasoning for that was (she was 5 at the time and learning math) but I guess I’m a little late…But we are in no hurry to catch up on that front by any means!!!

Jennifer has grown up quite nicely, in fact. Believe it or not, she is getting ready for college this coming fall semester. The wedding will coincide with her first few weeks of college, which should be exciting for everyone. Right now, she is thinking of attending Santa Fe Community College in the fall and possibly transferring to the University of Florida after her first two years. Can’t believe the little rugrat is all grown up!! Although, she does have a surprising resemblance to E.T. (see below) – now all we have to do is get her to say “Ell-i-otttt”!

(Which one is the Maid of Honor??)

My sweetie and I have decided that Jennifer is MUCH better looking than E.T. so we lucked out in the Maid of Honor department. (We love you, Jennifer!)

Anyway, Jennifer and I went to CityPlace in Palm Beach this past weekend, when we were down for the Parents Meet and Greet (which was very successful and lovely), and went looking for some potential bridesmaid dresses and perhaps a Prom dress for Jennifer. We had a good time, although I don’t recommend anyone getting in the car with Jen behind the wheel! (Just kidding, Jennifer, don’t get upset.)

XOXO
M

The Parents Meet and Greet

Hello everyone. Before I continue catching you all up on the engagement story, or stories I should say, I want to let you all know that our families have finally met face to face. This is kind of a big deal since my sweetie and I have been together for more than 5 years and they have never really met at all.

Once we were “officially engaged” my Nana and Papa decided it was time to check out his family more or less and invite them down from Orlando (my Nana and Papa and the rest of the gang are all in South Florida). So I picked up some cute little “engagement party” invitations from Papyrus (when Melissa was up visiting me) and sent them to her. It wasn’t quite an engagement party – that’ll be held later on, but it was more of a “Get Acquainted Party”. I’ll try to scan a copy of one of the invitations and put it up, but not sure if I’ll be able to do that today (I’m currently traveling).

So, my sweetie and I chose a weekend that would work for us, which happens to be this past weekend (February 9^th), for us all to get together. All of our immediate family was there – except for Jon’s sister and her fiancé. We were disappointed that they were unable to make it, to say the least. My father’s parents were also invited, but did not come either, for a combination of reasons which many of us know.

The dinner went well, overall. We felt bad, but my sweetie thought it was ultimately awesome, that his brother, Ben, and his long-time girlfriend, Deborah had to sit at the “kids’ table”. (It wasn’t quite a kids’ table with my uncle sitting there and the “kids” all range from 18 to 22.)

Everyone got to meet and mingle. I was questioned about the wedding plans. We had just gone to look at several venues, so at least I had some prepared responses. (We’re saving another post for the venue hunt.) It was a lovely evening indoors, while outside it was pouring rain. We felt bad that everyone from my sweetie’s family had to make a 3 hour drive back that night.

We can safely say that the parent meet and greet went well. Except there are fundamental differences in our two families such as we are not huggers (especially for people we have just met – a handshake will do) but my sweetie’s family are. It freaked my family out a bit, as it did (and sometimes still does) me when I first encountered this behavior! Another difference is that my sweetie’s mom may as well be surgically attached to her camera, which is fun, but when you get with my mom, who doesn’t enjoy being photographed or taking a lot of family photos…well, all I can say is that there were no “Jerry Springer” moments, except for when Ben slapped his Dad in the gut as he walked by.

That family may love to hug, but they also play rough! I guess we do, too (but without all the hugging, ha ha!)

The Dads and Papa got on well. They all loved to talk about being pilots, sailing boats, and that sort of thing. So at least we know now that everyone can at least handle each other and have a good time.

Next post will be a continuation of the engagement story, to keep us all on track. We’re slowly but surely catching up.