Back to Normal

We said our vows. We exchanged rings. We partied our faces off. And now, we're hitched.

Our wedding was a blast. We had a wonderful time, and it exceeded all of our hopes and expectations. All of the planning was worth it!

Although our honeymoon ended up being about 36 hours long, we enjoyed the chance to get away and unwind. For a few minutes anyway. But now we're back. And life can start to get back to normal. Only, now I have a new last name.

Thank you to everyone who wished us well in the planning. And to everyone who was there to help us celebrate. The night truly glowed. And there was so much love in the room. It really was marvelous.

The Worlds Shortest Honeymoon

We did it!

We're married!

If anyone has photos, please send them along. We won't get our wedding photography for a while, and since I was staring dep into my husbands eyes for much of the ceremony, therefore missing the rest of the experience, I'd love to see it from some one else point of view.

HELL. YEAH.

We're going to the World Series baby!!!!

Next week is going to be AWESOME.

I don't feel so bad now

Last night was Z's bachelor party.

And by the time he came home, he was a drunk, puking, pathetic, lump of man. Now, I don't feel so bad for being the female equivalent a few months back. At least I didn't puke in the cab! Although I was informed that I puked on a shoe. (Sorry Susie).

I don't know what the big deal is about bachelor parties. Really? Must every one involved naked ladies and too many shots? At least I know I have a good boy. No cooties on my man so soon before the wedding!

What did I do all day, while he was out galavanting with his friends? I spent a lovely, luxurious day at the Elizabeth Arden Spa on Michigan Avenue with my wonderful cousin. Then, we went back to her apartment to watch the thrilling Game 6. I had a wonderful day. And I know that Z did too. Although, he is a bit banged up and bruised today.

T-Minus 10 Days.

10 Days. That's crazy, right? In some ways, it feels like we've been engaged for ages. In others, it feels like we're already married. And then there are moments when I am stunned realizing that our relationship only started a bit over 2 years ago. So much ground covered together!

With only a few weeks left until W-Day, a certain calm has come over me. The lists, for the most part, have been checked, and rechecked, and the to-do's have all be done. The day has shape. It has a flow. And I'm getting really excited to finally be able to enjoy our day, after all of these months planning it.

It's no secret, I didn't enjoy the planning process as much as I thought I would. It was hard to be here so far from most of my family and friends. And while I had plenty of people volunteering their services from time to time, for the most part, I did things alone. Which made some of the tasks seem more like errands than they did preparations for our special day.

Luckily, my wonderful almost-husband picked up the slack, especially towards the end, when I was pushed to the wall. He endured many nights when I was too stressed out about details to function properly. And he let me cry when I got overwhelmed. It's easy to see why I want to marry him. And if the past few months were any indication of how things will be, I'm going to be a happy wife.

Wow. I'm going to be a wife. In 10 days.

M.I.A.

So, now that the final count down is well underway, we find ourselves so busy DOING things for the wedding that there is no time to discuss what we PLAN to do!

At long last, all of the major decisions feel pretty buttoned up, and we are starting to get very excited about the big day. Which is only 2-1/2 weeks away. Yikes!

The highlights of our progress:

• We got our marriage license last weekend, which was an experience, to say the least.
  
• I had my trial updo and make up, and decided that I'm doing my own makeup (Shocker, right?)
• Day by day, we are paying our vendors thousands of dollars, but who's counting!
• The Red Sox are still in the race. The cubbies, sadly, are not. (Go Red Sox!!)
• My dress finally fits properly. And the whole ensemble is as lovely as I hoped it would be.
• We've both been SO busy at work! But are both still employed, which is a bonus.
• We've started going to the gym in the mornings before work. That has nothing to do with the wedding, but is an impressive feat to anyone who knows either of us.
• My eye ball issues seem to be solved, for the moment. Yay!

My mom is planning a few outings for the weekend, so if you'll be in town for a few days, be sure to ask someone what's going on. It's nothing formal or organized, but there are plenty of suggestions for those of you who have never been to Chicago before.

That's it for now. See you soon!