Dear Friends that have gotten married before me,
You win. When you called me with your stressors and problems before your wedding, I tried to be supportive, but was sort of thinking (and don't get offended) "Seriously? How stressful can planning a wedding be?" Well, I get it. I am officially stressed. And it's not because I am nervous about the wedding, or am getting cold feet because I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with Mike. The issue is that I am not in complete control of the situation, and the days are flying by more quickly than I could have imagined. 66 Days!? When did that happen? When we got engaged with 9 months to the big day, I thought we had this under our belts. And yet, things so quickly spin out of control that somehow I have to just take a deep breath and let it go. (And yes, I am doing a lot of running!)
So what has been going on? I think the problem is that I am not physically in Birmingham to take care of things on my own timeline. Instead, I have made 2 visits where my mom, sisters and I met with so many vendors and signed so many contracts that my head was spinning. And suddenly, there were a billion things I didn't know existed...maybe I WOULD like a photo booth, or a cigar roller, or our monogram lit on the wall. (Yes, Lauren, all from your beautiful wedding!) Maybe my centerpieces should be different...Thank goodness my mom was there to keep me on track and keep me on budget!
Last week, I traveled to Birmingham to make another dent in the planning. My sisters and I stuffed and printed invitations (I can't believe they are about to go out), I went to try on my dress (that is still not completed) and met with a lady who is going to print our programs. All these little details that you really can't do until you are really close to the wedding. I am going to be gluing and tying ribbons on those programs for a week! Mike has promised to help with wedding stuff (We still don't have a honeymoon) since his comps are turned in, yet when I told him there would be 200 wedding programs delivered to glue and assemble, he informed me that he does not do arts and crafts. While I argued my point that this was a wedding for both of us, he asked me if I really wanted him to do it or just wanted him to be involved. Well played, Mike, because I don't trust you with a glue stick!
And so, I will continue to push through. No mind that I am unemployed, and spent my entire day in one place on the couch, in my pajamas yesterday emailing and calling wedding people. This too will pass. I am just ready to get my legal piece of paper, dance the night away and call Mike my husband!
Hope all is well with y'all!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Wedding Work Out
Let me preface this post with the fact that I don't diet. I am horrible at it and just love food too much. I may make it a few days eating healthily, but after that my cravings for a sloppy Mexican dinner or a box of macaroni and cheese take over. And so, with 83 days left until our wedding, I decided something must be done. No, I don't think I am fat, but I would like to tone some parts of my body that were forgotten while I hid inside this winter.
The first part of the plan is to get back into running. I really don't run when it is cold out. It is miserable and coming home with windburn and snow all over my shoes does not make those endorphins flow. However, it has started to warm up and I have been able to get back outside. It was while I was running the other day that I came up with my fabulous plan. I want to run a half marathon right before the wedding so that I will constantly be running and in shape. I called my dad who is considering running with me dependent on his training goes. At this point, we are looking at some races in Virginia.
However, yesterday when I woke up for my run and looked outside, it noticed it was overcast and just looked cold. (That is how I determine whether or not it is too cold. I look out the window.) I decided to pull out one of my workout DVDs (Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly and Boy Short Bottom) so I could get something in. Well, let me tell you how depressing it is to start a DVD that you used to perform with no problem, and find that you are a little light headed and sweating buckets five minutes in. I pressed on, but by the end when I was supposed to be doing push ups, I had to stop because my arms were shaking from all the work they had done up to that point. Needless to say I am limping around today and trying not to carry anything heavier than my chapstick.
So that is my wedding work out plan. Mike and I are trying to eat better which for him means cutting out chicken wings. He had his last supper last night and while placing his order over the phone, told the waitress that he was "going on a wedding diet, so please make these wings good." I think he was satisfied. Hope everyone had a great weekend - I will keep you posted on how these next 83 days turn out!
The first part of the plan is to get back into running. I really don't run when it is cold out. It is miserable and coming home with windburn and snow all over my shoes does not make those endorphins flow. However, it has started to warm up and I have been able to get back outside. It was while I was running the other day that I came up with my fabulous plan. I want to run a half marathon right before the wedding so that I will constantly be running and in shape. I called my dad who is considering running with me dependent on his training goes. At this point, we are looking at some races in Virginia.
However, yesterday when I woke up for my run and looked outside, it noticed it was overcast and just looked cold. (That is how I determine whether or not it is too cold. I look out the window.) I decided to pull out one of my workout DVDs (Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly and Boy Short Bottom) so I could get something in. Well, let me tell you how depressing it is to start a DVD that you used to perform with no problem, and find that you are a little light headed and sweating buckets five minutes in. I pressed on, but by the end when I was supposed to be doing push ups, I had to stop because my arms were shaking from all the work they had done up to that point. Needless to say I am limping around today and trying not to carry anything heavier than my chapstick.
So that is my wedding work out plan. Mike and I are trying to eat better which for him means cutting out chicken wings. He had his last supper last night and while placing his order over the phone, told the waitress that he was "going on a wedding diet, so please make these wings good." I think he was satisfied. Hope everyone had a great weekend - I will keep you posted on how these next 83 days turn out!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ban on Delta
First, I have to say that Mike and I just spent a fabulous weekend watching my friend get married in San Antonio. This wedding was beautiful, as was the bride, and she pulled out all the stops. Aside from having our hair and make up done, she was the calmest bride I have ever seen. She told me, "Don't worry about it!" when her bustle broke, and just continued to dance up a storm. The band was fantastic, the food delicious and the flowers beautiful. But, you know, Mike and I can't go anywhere without some sort of crisis following us, and this one hit at 10:50 when we attempted to leave the St. Louis airport.
I booked our tickets January 23rd (I know this because we went through every step of the ticketing process during this fiasco) and thought everything was fine. I used a voucher that I received when I generously gave up my seat and stayed in ATL for a night rather than heading home after a trip. The rest of the ticket price I put on my credit card. I received 3 different confirmation emails with confirmation numbers so I figured we were in the clear. Who would think that we wouldn't have a seat on that plane?
Now, Mike has never been known for his promptness, and has missed a plane or two, but never on my watch. My family was that annoying group of five that got to the airport two hours early and ran around until the plane boarded. So, somehow, usually with a little bit of conflict, we get to the airport on time. It is a struggle, but I have come to expect it, and I think we have both bent a little bit in the other direction. The problem this time, was neither of us packed the night before. We were exhausted and promised to pack in the morning. I woke up and started packing, and eventually Mike did the same. Remember the rule that you must check in within 30 minutes of your flight? That is not a joke.
35 minutes before the flight I was dragging suitcases out of the car and stumbling up to the outside ticket counter. I was immediately told that the time had run out and I was no longer in the system. However, I felt that something was amiss. I ran inside, knowing that I had 5 minutes left and asked to speak to someone at the front desk. I thought my face showed my anxiety, but I was maneuvered over to those stupid kiosks where I "could finish up." Once I put my credit card in to validate that it was me, nothing happened. I called for the lady who pushed me to the kiosk and explained the problem. We went through everything. Punching in the flight number, the credit card again, the confirmation number....nothing worked. By this time, Mike has finished parking the car and I am about to have a fit.
The kind kiosk pushing lady had us come to the counter in attempts to figure out what was wrong. She kept typing on the computer and shaking her head. I kept checking the clock, knowing we still had to go through security. Finally, I asked her to please tell us what was going on. She explained that we did have reserved seats on the plane, but it did not appear that we had actual tickets. WHAT??? She asked us why we had not called Delta to confirm our flight. I somewhat politely informed her that since we did receive a CONFIRMATION number, I assumed the flight was confirmed. At that point, she picked up the phone and started making phone calls, trying to figure out what happened. Don't worry, I am able to tell you this story precisely because I documented three pages of what was going on as it was happening. Marilyn was thrilled.
Mike, who has a calmer temperament than me, told Marilyn that if we did not get on this flight we would miss the party that we were flying in for on a Thursday in the first place. Marilyn snapped that this was really our fault because we were not at the airport an hour before the plane took off. Before I completed yelling (really - my hands were in the air and people were staring) that even if we had been there before, there were no tickets for us to use, Mike told me to take a lap. I made a quick lap around the ticket line but came back because I did not want to miss a word of what this Marilyn had to say.
I watched as Marilyn was connected three times to various people who had no idea what was going on. Finally she looked up and said "That will be $256. How would you like to pay for that?" I had to take another lap. As Mike tried to figure out why we would have to repay, I was on the phone with the bank checking to see whether the charge went through. As I came back, I heard Marilyn say to Mike, "Do you want to get on this plane or not?" (Was she threatening us??) As it was an hour and twenty minutes later, I asked our friend whether the plane was still there. No, she shook her head. "Then why are you demanding immediate payment when you have no idea what is happening?" (All the things above in quotes were actually stated by either Mike or me.)
As it turns out, when I booked the flight, the computer did not take my voucher or my money, but still saved two seats and sent us confirmation. We used the voucher again, and once Marilyn figured out the math (that took another five minutes) we had seats on the 4:45 flight. This meant that we would miss the Mexican Fiesta that evening and we would be waiting in the airport for 4 hours. Marilyn acted like she was doing us a favor because she put us in an exit row in one of our four flights. The rest of the flights, we were not even sitting together.
I am still wary of calling Delta, because I am afraid I am going to get another voucher that will trap me into flying with them again. As I sipped my bloody mary at the bar, I recounted my experience with Delta in high school where I was left in LONDON on a school trip. I still don't know how people are loyal to this company. So that was the story. We got in late Thursday night, but enjoyed the rest of the weekend immensely. Thank goodness there were no issues coming back. My voice was gone from singing along to the great songs, and I did not have the energy to yell at anyone else.
I booked our tickets January 23rd (I know this because we went through every step of the ticketing process during this fiasco) and thought everything was fine. I used a voucher that I received when I generously gave up my seat and stayed in ATL for a night rather than heading home after a trip. The rest of the ticket price I put on my credit card. I received 3 different confirmation emails with confirmation numbers so I figured we were in the clear. Who would think that we wouldn't have a seat on that plane?
Now, Mike has never been known for his promptness, and has missed a plane or two, but never on my watch. My family was that annoying group of five that got to the airport two hours early and ran around until the plane boarded. So, somehow, usually with a little bit of conflict, we get to the airport on time. It is a struggle, but I have come to expect it, and I think we have both bent a little bit in the other direction. The problem this time, was neither of us packed the night before. We were exhausted and promised to pack in the morning. I woke up and started packing, and eventually Mike did the same. Remember the rule that you must check in within 30 minutes of your flight? That is not a joke.
35 minutes before the flight I was dragging suitcases out of the car and stumbling up to the outside ticket counter. I was immediately told that the time had run out and I was no longer in the system. However, I felt that something was amiss. I ran inside, knowing that I had 5 minutes left and asked to speak to someone at the front desk. I thought my face showed my anxiety, but I was maneuvered over to those stupid kiosks where I "could finish up." Once I put my credit card in to validate that it was me, nothing happened. I called for the lady who pushed me to the kiosk and explained the problem. We went through everything. Punching in the flight number, the credit card again, the confirmation number....nothing worked. By this time, Mike has finished parking the car and I am about to have a fit.
The kind kiosk pushing lady had us come to the counter in attempts to figure out what was wrong. She kept typing on the computer and shaking her head. I kept checking the clock, knowing we still had to go through security. Finally, I asked her to please tell us what was going on. She explained that we did have reserved seats on the plane, but it did not appear that we had actual tickets. WHAT??? She asked us why we had not called Delta to confirm our flight. I somewhat politely informed her that since we did receive a CONFIRMATION number, I assumed the flight was confirmed. At that point, she picked up the phone and started making phone calls, trying to figure out what happened. Don't worry, I am able to tell you this story precisely because I documented three pages of what was going on as it was happening. Marilyn was thrilled.
Mike, who has a calmer temperament than me, told Marilyn that if we did not get on this flight we would miss the party that we were flying in for on a Thursday in the first place. Marilyn snapped that this was really our fault because we were not at the airport an hour before the plane took off. Before I completed yelling (really - my hands were in the air and people were staring) that even if we had been there before, there were no tickets for us to use, Mike told me to take a lap. I made a quick lap around the ticket line but came back because I did not want to miss a word of what this Marilyn had to say.
I watched as Marilyn was connected three times to various people who had no idea what was going on. Finally she looked up and said "That will be $256. How would you like to pay for that?" I had to take another lap. As Mike tried to figure out why we would have to repay, I was on the phone with the bank checking to see whether the charge went through. As I came back, I heard Marilyn say to Mike, "Do you want to get on this plane or not?" (Was she threatening us??) As it was an hour and twenty minutes later, I asked our friend whether the plane was still there. No, she shook her head. "Then why are you demanding immediate payment when you have no idea what is happening?" (All the things above in quotes were actually stated by either Mike or me.)
As it turns out, when I booked the flight, the computer did not take my voucher or my money, but still saved two seats and sent us confirmation. We used the voucher again, and once Marilyn figured out the math (that took another five minutes) we had seats on the 4:45 flight. This meant that we would miss the Mexican Fiesta that evening and we would be waiting in the airport for 4 hours. Marilyn acted like she was doing us a favor because she put us in an exit row in one of our four flights. The rest of the flights, we were not even sitting together.
I am still wary of calling Delta, because I am afraid I am going to get another voucher that will trap me into flying with them again. As I sipped my bloody mary at the bar, I recounted my experience with Delta in high school where I was left in LONDON on a school trip. I still don't know how people are loyal to this company. So that was the story. We got in late Thursday night, but enjoyed the rest of the weekend immensely. Thank goodness there were no issues coming back. My voice was gone from singing along to the great songs, and I did not have the energy to yell at anyone else.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)