Wedding Fun

I just found this while uploading photos. Normally, I don't even look at video shot with my camera because it's always really bad, or done completely by accident. Don't get me wrong, the quality still sucks, but it makes me smile nonetheless. Dork, I am.


My Unconventional Wedding Video from Jessica Langlois on Vimeo.

Right You Are

While surfing blogs this evening, I came across this wonderful picture. Sissy (one of Dan's three yr old twins) saw it and said, "Look! It's Foxy!" You know - Foxy the cat.

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THE 99 THINGS MEME

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. (Does marching band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii. (I want to do this more than anything!)
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been To Disney World/Land. (NEVER EVER EVER GOING TO HAPPEN!)
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (I love storms, but I don't think I want to be in a boat for this one)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked. (I was 14 - Martha's Vinyard)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb. (nothing cuter!)
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon. (why does anyone want to do this?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. (if HTML in 1997 counts)
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (??? satisfy what?)
38 Seen the leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person. (I hate to travel, but that would be cool)
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud. (Midnight Mud Football in college!!)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. (I have secretly always wanted to be an actress)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen. (I need to get around to doing this one)
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching. (This is on the the list for this coming summer)
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt. (grew up quilting)
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone. (several)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (total dream of mine)
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. (I still miss that car!)
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby. (HAHAHAHA!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit. (car accident where I was plowed into by an idiot 16 yr old boy)
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. (several times)

Merry Christmas

This morning I opened a present that contained a "tupperware" container. In that container was a handmade card. The card was festooned with a ton of my crafting glitter, and I saw that some of it was "embossed." I looked at Dan, and he said, "I tried to pay attention last time you made cards." I burst into tears. Even my mom got teary-eyed. The man CRAFTED for me.

I hope your holiday was every bit as wonderful as mine.

Cake and Stockings

The holiday spirit FINALLY hit me tonight, and I started the annual rum cake bake. I have 12 mini cakes and two larger cakes - rum or chocolate sour cream (for those who don't cotton to alcohol) and probably a few more to come. Over the weekend I will make Joe Froggers and Lemon Sugar Cookies and package those up for my work gifts.

The snow has been coming down since about 2pm, and everything is beautiful and sparkly. I will find out tomorrow if we will open. I live just three miles away, so I am fine with working, though I don't know if many people will venture out to see us. If I get the luxury of staying home, I will bake, wrap, and watch movies all day - sounds good to me.

Naturally, Christmas itself will be an endurance event for me. We'll be visiting the children Christmas Eve Day, Mom and I will visit my brother and his crew, and then I will bring Mom back to our house. Then I can relax.

Mom will sleep over, and I will have my stocking ready for me in the morning. Yes, you read that right - I am forcing my mother to sleep here so that I can have my stocking as soon as I get up. I LOVE my stocking. When I was little, my brother and I would get up early and dump our stockings on the bed. OK, by "little" I mean that we did this until moved out-of-state permanently. The stocking ALWAYS has an orange in the toe. Mom continued with stockings until Matthew was living with his eventual wife: "Well, I guess I can stop doing stockings now." "Um, what? No, I still want a stocking." "But you're a grown woman!" "And, your point?" Last year Mom said, "Don't tell your brother I still do a stocking for you. Just remember, when you're married, I get to stop doing your stocking."

Ha - little does she know!

That reminds me - I need oranges for Mom and Dan's stockings - because I love giving as much as getting.

Wow

Here's some holiday beauty for you - check out the stunning galleries at SnowCrystals.com. Thanks, Librarian's Internet Index!

Finally Calming Down

My new job is finally calming down. And by that I don't mean that it's getting less hectic, it's simply getting easier for me to deal with the hectic.

I, like most people, I imagine, am happiest at work when I know what the heck I am doing. And actually, it hasn't been difficult to figure out what I am doing, but rather it has been difficult convincing other people that I know what I am doing. Change is hard, and I am relieved that as I go along, getting others to "go with the flow" is becoming easier.

In other news, I made a kick-ass chicken soup for dinner tonight.

One Year Later

A year ago tonight, I was on my first date with Dan. I had no idea that in less than a year, we would be married. All I knew was that I was having the time of my life, dancing and kissing, and wondering how I had lived for so many years without someone looking at me LIKE THAT. And even when I announced, three days later to my BFF that I was "going to marry this guy," I still had no idea that it would be so soon.

When I think about Dan and our relationship, and the fact that we are so very different in many ways, I always come back to this - if we had not suffered through some of our past failed relationships, we may not have ended up together. Yes, we were attracted to each other, yes there is a huge amount of "chemistry" between us, but after all this time I have finally learned that those two things can only take you so far. We love each other because we appreciate each other's kindness. We both know what it's like to love people who didn't love us back, and we both know what it's like to have your partner make you feel small. And we simply don't do that to each other.

Dan is the most loving, genuine, and honest man I have ever known. And because we make each other feel so special, there just isn't any room - or any need - for manipulation and drama. And I can't tell you how wonderful that feels, or how grateful I am.

I'm so happy we found each other.