FINALLY!!!!

The wedding finally happened! We had a blast having all of our families in Atlanta with us as we celebrated our marriage. I got to meet the rest of Evan's family at the rehearsal dinner that I had not already met, and my family that live in Germany just made it to change, get cleaned up, and dressed about an hour before the ceremony started.

I'm so glad that my family was able to make it in time. My niece Kenleigh was such a princess and she knew it. She wants everyone to know that she didn't have a mini dress of mine, I had a bigger one of hers. She was the star of the show. But I have to give it to both of them, they were from a different time zone and were able to stay awake for it all. And Adam did a lot of the driving through the night and was able to stay awake.

After the reception, Evan and I went to The W Hotel. We stayed on the uppermost floor and had an amazing view that faced East. Luckily there was a curtain so we could sleep in, but the view was awesome! We were able to see Stone Mountain and Piedmont Park all from the same place.

Next us for us is finals week. After that, Evan commissions into the United States Navy as an Ensign. The next day, Evan will become a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The day after that, Evan and I fly out to San Francisco for a week.

(Pictures from the wedding will not be given to us until a few weeks due to the time the photographer will need to edit and compile all of the photos.)

2 weeks and a day

Well, it is getting really close. REALLY REALLY CLOSE. But I will say I am more nervous about this than this.

Speaking of the former, I had ship selection the other day and I will be going to the USS Essex LHD-2, out of Sasebo, Japan. So that is where I am going. I hope this doesn't happen. Or this. This would be okay. And so would this (maybe I could even team up with him).  But not this or this.

Okay I realise I haven't yped alot, but finding all those links took some time.

School is nearing an end as well. And for good for me. Turkey day next week and then a blitz to the finish. Hopefully I get 2 block dice (that is a joke for wargamers club. If any of them read this. Which they probably don't. At least I still think it is funny. So stop judging me. I know you are. *Stares menacingly at you).

Well, I don't know what else to say or do. Just thought I would check in.

Oh yeah. This would be really bad.

And Mary Jo, don't forget this.

19 days and counting down...

I can't believe how much we have gotten done in the past couple weeks, but we've done it! We only have a few more things to get done; some are small (gifts), and some are quite major (marriage license).

Yeah.. so we haven't written in a while, but we've been getting stuff done! We took care of the rings, catering, cake(s), the church, music, and final details of the ceremony.

Things are coming together nicely, which is a great relief from just a few months ago. We are very happy that we can start to relax and take in what is about to happen. We have been getting gifts and are so thankful for all the love and support from everyone.

Lindsay threw a wonderful bridal shower for me, it kind of kicked off the season. My spirit was rejuvenated from it and I'm excited and nervous. Everything is finally falling into place!

Great thing are happening!

In the past week or so, we have gotten a dog, a church to get married in, ordered invitations, picked up my dress, picked out tuxes, and taken engagement pictures.

Yep, that's right. We got a dog. His name is Baron.
He is a black "retrievador" from the Atlanta Humane Society. He is 6 months old and is such a good puppy! He is such a great ball player! He loves to play all the time, too. We are so glad to have him.

We finally have a church. For some unknowable circumstances we couldn't get the Cathedral at St. Phillip's. But we do have Church of the Atonement in Sandy Springs. The wedding will go at 1:30 pm on the 4th of December 2010.

I can't tell you much about my dress because Evan reads this too. And he doesn't want to know anything about it until 1:30 pm on Saturday, Dec 4, 2010. So, you all will just have to wait with him unless you visit me and see it hanging in my closet.

We went with a nice black and white, monogrammed invitation. Be expecting it in the mail soon.

Tuxes. We went with Savvi formal wear. The groomsmen will be in black tuxes with gold vests and ties. Evan will have a red vest and tie. And Joey and Cameron will be wearing black vests with a striped black and white tie which I think will go great with the newly finished ring bearer pillows, thanks to Kim.

And to finish the day off, Evan and I had our engagement photo session with Jason Travis. We had a blast! We started out at Tanyard Creek Park off of Collier Rd. We spent about an hour and a half there. Then we changed outfits and moved to a location in Midtown between Ponce de Leon and North Ave. It is part of The Beltline, an former train track that is being restored to bring back attention to it. We had so much fun! I know I said that already, but Jason made the photo shoot very enjoyable. We should be getting the pictures back soon and I don't think I can wait that long! You'll see some when we get them.

Baron

After much begging, pleading, and debating, Evan and I finally got a dog yesterday.

His name is Baron. He is a 6 month old labriever (black labrador/ retriever). We think he has something else in him. Looking closely at his face and legs, you can see specs of gold. He is partially trained. He can sit, fetch, and he comes to you when you call him. The funny thing about Baron is that he's scared of dogs.

I went walking with him last night. We were in sight of a smaller puppy (maybe a foot tall). When Baron spotted this puppy, he stopped and if it weren't for the leash he was attached to, he would have been around the corner of the building. But he loves people!

As we were leaving the Atlanta Humane Society yesterday, the adoption-mobile drivers were returning. Once they saw our new dog leaving the shelter, they were so happy for him. One of the ladies commented that we had made her day because our wonderful dog whom she adored was being adopted finally. The other lady said that he was a wonderful dog and fabulous to play ball with. It almost made me cry because they were reinforcing the decision we made to get Baron. We literally spent hours at the shelter trying to find a dog to take home. We don't regret our decision one bit.

WHARRGARBL

Don't you just feel like that is life sometimes. Just Wharrgarbl.
Yeah so a whole lot to do and so little time

This weekend I am going to be hashing out the whole church thing. That needs to be done pronto.
And then we met a photographer today and need to nail that down. Then catering needs to be finished. And Jennifer needs a dress. WHARRGARBL!!!! See what I mean. So much stuff.

All this on top of school, navy, and apartment life (bills, supplies, etc.). WHARRGARBL!!!!

Being a grown up stinks...

At least I have Jennifer here to help me

OCS: Overall Completely Satisfied

The past week, I heard people putting OCS down saying that they would rather have been doing their paid vacation than running through the mud[dy water] and getting yelled at. But I am fully prepared to tell them that OCS is not about suffering for six weeks straight...well, it is, but there is more to it than that.

Of course there is suffering involved at OCS. They want you to suffer so that Candidates and future Marines can look into themselves and find that through the suffering, through the pain, and through the thoughts running amok that it can't be done, the Marines find a way. Through all of the adversity, the Marines use their will and strength to overcome and succeed. That is what makes us great. That is why we are sadistic and put ourselves through hardship.

We gladly run distances no one else will, do the dirty jobs, and get messy for someone else all because that is part of being a Marine. Self-sacrifice just because it needs to be done. And if you cannot see that in those who proudly wear the uniform, then you are missing something within and will never be able to see it until you have worked hard for anything.

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. It is what we work hardest for that we hold dearest to our hearts." Thomas Paine

OMG, we're back again

Yeah, just like that song everybody used to all sing in elementary school. Evan and I are back at sweet Georgia Tech. While Evan is not so happy to be at school again and for his final semester, I am more than willing to go to school as long as it's not Officer Candidate School.

My sleep schedule is about the same as it was while I was in Quantico. I still get tired around 2100 and wake up before my alarm clack and I'm still tired throughout the whole day but can't quite seem to let my body fall asleep. I'm very much eager to start Marine and Battalion PT. I am so much faster now than I have ever been. I made a 300 on my final PFT with an above maximum run time of 20:16 (max is 21:00 min). My goal is to continue that same time plus get faster.

I did have some trouble getting through OCS, but I graduated. And as long as I graduate, people will still call me "ma'am" just like every other female in my platoon, to include the number one candidate. We started out the first day with 64 female candidates in my platoon and we graduated 41. We lost ten the first week due to medical and physical fitness disqualifications. The others that we lost were due to medical reasons, their desire to no longer be a Marine Officer, or various other reasons (such as eating an MRE in the middle of the night). Luckily, I was not one of those who got sent home earlier than when she should have been. I successfully completed the required 44 days stated on my orders.

It was tough--there is no doubt about that. But I did have an experience unlike anyone else I've known. The first reason is that I am female. The second reason is that my staff was female. That had a lot to do with my experience. And for the sake of professionalism, I'm going to leave it at that.

I'm back. I graduated. And I never have to go through that again.

Quick Update for the world!

Just a quick update:

I am in Ely MN until the start of August. Call me if you need me. Internet is only when in town and I have my computer, and this is the first time in like 2 weeks, so that barely happens.

Jennifer is in Quantico at OCS. Wish her luck, keep her in your prayers, whatever is your style. We all know she can do it, but cheering for her won't hurt.
If you want to cheer for her more personally you can send her a letter:
Candidate Jennifer Thompson 6813
4th Platoon, Echo Company
2189 Elrod Ave
Officer Candidates School
Quantico, VA 22143-5033

Now to pull some information I need to pull to work on the wedding.

And something unrelated to get a laugh:

Location, location, location

Location no. 1 is our our apartment. After Evan narrowed down all the apartments that Promove gave us based on our needs, he handed me a list of six apartments. I only went to four before calling it a day. But what we (I had Josh with me) found was pretty good place with an easy location -- that is if you consider fighting 285 traffic easy. But it's not that bad. It's two traffic lights away from I-75, so it's easy to get to, just a longer drive from Tech than anyone wants. Besides the ease/distance for the drive, it is a nice apartment, and more importantly, it's one we can afford.

Our second location is The GT Alumni House and that's for our reception site. We are both really excited about this place. It's a great venue and only three blocks away from All Saints' Episcopal Church! Both the church and the Alumni House have lots of parking spaces. Both lots should be able to support the number of guests we expect (combined if not alone).

And our last location is our individual locations for the rest of the summer. We will get to see each other this weekend for a few days and then not again until August 20th. This weekend we will be at a lake house in North Carolina that belongs to a former neighbor and remaining friend of the Valdyke family. After this weekend though, I'll be in a sunny Quantico, VA for Officer Candidate School. Evan will be vacationing with his family at their island in Minnesota. So while Evan is off having fun in a cabin surrounded by a lake, I will be running around surrounded by my peers all drenched in sweat. But I graduate on August 21st; family day is the day before.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Tech starts on August 23rd?

I think I've found my dress

Yesterday was a great day! And it didn't even start out to be as great as it was. Evan's family was in Charlotte, NC for his cousin's high school graduation. They were going to make a special trip through Macon, GA to meet my mom for lunch. Evan is the only one from his family to have met my mom. She was shorthanded at the State Farm where she works, so she wasn't able to make it there, but I bargained to have Josh with me instead. Since we were going to be meeting in Macon, I thought it would be a good idea to stay at Lindsay's house the night before.

My good day started out when I took Josh with me to go apartment hunting in Atlanta. We visiting several places and liked about half of them. They each have their reason for why I like them (price, location, neighborhood, etc.) but there were three that stood out. The first one, Conservatory at Druid Hills, stood out due to its love for pets and it's location in a great area of Atlanta. It's also within the perimeter. There is a dog park for residents! Some rooms have fireplaces, some have decks/patios, kitchen was satisfactory (and the "tour guide" was from Milledgeville). The fourth(?) place we went to, Forest Hills, has a great price! They also have options with a loft and a spacious, private patio area. But that's about all they have. The bathrooms are tiny! It's good that those doors open out instead of in to the bathroom like most other bathrooms I've come across in my life. The last place we went to, The Abbey of East Cobb, had very friendly staff, pet and family friendly. Two features stand out that make The Abbey the best choice: 1) It's two traffic lights away from I-75 N! It's so easy to get to. 2) The entire complex was redone in 2008, including the kitchen. The kitchen that I saw at The Abbey stood out from ALL of the kitchens I had seen at ANY apartment I have checked out. It is small, but plenty of cabinet space and new appliances. (They also had spacious bathrooms!)

Then Josh and I went to Chick-fil-a for lunch before my orthodontist appointment at 2 pm. I had the new #2 which was a chicken sandwich with cheese, lettuce, and tomato. And then off to the orthodontist. It was my last adjustment, so I was already excited about that part. I thought I was going to have to wait 2 weeks before they could come off. But Dr. E told me to make an appointment for the next available time. IN ONE WEEK MY BRACES COME OFF! Yay! On the way to Macon, I told Josh that I wasn't sure which I was more excited about: getting my braces off next week or seeing Evan tomorrow. Josh and I both thought that I was more excited about the permanent mouth-piece being extracted next week.

And then Josh and I arrived at Lindsay's house. We had dinner then Lindsay wanted to show me her wedding dress she had chosen earlier in the week. So she and I went to David's Bridal to see her try her dress back on. Then she turned to me and said, "You know you want to try some on." I gladly put up the fight to try some on. I tried a few on. There were ones I liked, and didn't like at all. I kept on truckin' through the dresses I had chosen. There was one that I liked a lot but it was restricting, and short. There was another that was a "high to low." I liked the "high," but not the "to low" part. And then there was my dress. Yes, my dress. When I was wearing, I felt strong, without being masculine, and sexy, without being trampy. I like the minimal beading, the neckline, and surprisingly I like the train. I wasn't sure if I was going to love Lindsay or hate her for pressuring me into trying dresses on, but I do love her for it. Thanks, Lindsay!

So much to do; so little time

Sorry it has been so long since a post has been made, but Evan and I have been busy. Right now Evan is on a ship somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean and I just got back from Camp Rainey Mountain where I spent a week helping instruct/chaperon MCJROTC cadets. So not much has happened in the past week, but a few things have happened before we both left.

Our dear friends at All Saints' Episcopal Church have graciously agreed to allow us to be married at their church. Evan and I feel so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. The first day we started working with them, they were more helpful than any other church we worked with (you know which one I'm talking about). In about two days, they offered to give us a space as well as allowing us to use Rev Pat from St. Luke's. They had been more than helpful; in fact, they did all of the work. Geoffrey from All Saints' personally spoke to Fr. Dan about our situation to find out if they wouldn't or couldn't marry us due to lack of space. Here's the real kicker that demonstrates lack of communication at St. Luke's: Fr. Dan did not know that there was a time conflict with our wedding time and the re-scheduled musicians' practice. This leads me to believe that someone did not put our chosen wedding time on the church calendar. So when the practice had to be re-scheduled, there was no issue because our wedding was not on the calendar. [That is an assumption, but makes perfect sense so I have no trouble jumping.]

On another note, Evan has been working on finding a place for us to live for the next year. We first started our apartment hunting with the aid of the internet. Then went to those places we found, but along the way we saw more apartments we should check out. When we went to one place, they suggested we use Promove. It is a free service that does all the apartment searching for us. So we stopped by Promove later and they handed us a bajillion apartments that were within our price and proximity range. Evan narrowed them down to about six different places. Since I live closer to Atlanta, I will pick up where he left off and visit those apartments to make the final decision. YAY EVAN!

On the 22nd of June, my mother, Pat (a family friend and not the priest), myself, and possibly Lindsay will go up to Atlanta to do some stuff. We'll narrow down vendor choices, sign contracts, go to the seamstress who will make my dress, get inspired for the reception, and most importantly we will go to The Flying Biscuit.

What else floats?

What also floats in water?
No not a duck! GO BACK TWO! There we go! Churches. That is our discussion for today.

Jennifer and I are having to change churches. Essentially St. Luke's has just pushed around to the point we don't want to be there anymore, and they finally set down the 21 ton weight that broke the camel's back.

What happened? Well, Jennifer and I booked the church on the 4th at 2 pm. Paid a $600 deposit (which we are getting back thank goodness) to ensure this. On the 16th of this month we were informed that the churches morning event had to be pushed back and that we would have to have a morning or evening wedding. What is the morning event? A practice for their Sunday Service event on the 5th. And they said there is nothing they can do about it. It would cause problems for too many people apparently. Never mind the following facts
1- 6 and 1/2 months away, people can adjust their calendars this far out to come to practice the weekend before, or Friday evening.
2- They didn't even try to do anything, just told, not asked us, but told us to choose a new time
3- We paid for the time. I wish we had signed something really, just so they'd have to try and break a contract. Bet they would have looked for alternatives then.
4- What about how it would effect all the people coming the our event? Why were we, the people who had paid and church members, we we had to essentially fight to become, and all our guests and family secondary to this?
5- Had I asked for the morning, they would have said no, we have a church event. So why when the event coordinator says they need to change to the afternoon is our wedding not a church event. We are members, and did pay. That should be set in stone.

So yeah, we are changing churches. St Luke's has definitely not made us feel welcome (they made us wait outside in the cold one day since we didn't have an appointment while they let someone else in). And then there was the membership fiasco.

ANYHOW! We are going down to All Saints at the Corner of Peachtree and North Ave.
So instead of the church looking like this
It will look more like this I imagineNotice the difference? Wow! That's right. They cooperate and make us feel welcome at All Saints. Good eye, that's hard to tell from the pictures.

I other news, our cool idea for a Germany Honeymoon was blown apart today by the Navy. Thanks anyways Jaime! We are going to have to stay in the US. I am thinking of going either here or here. That's right! Don't forget the Nuge! And the flag makes that the US right. That's how it works. Pretty sure I learned that in history class. And don't say I can't get to the moon. The picture has a guy in it. So :P

Oh and post in this webzone if you want a pizza roll. I'll mail you a pizza role. I have about 5 left. Get them while they are still hot.

More introductions

Today, Evan and I met with our officiant, Rev Patricia Grace, from St. Luke's. We made our 04 Dec 2010 date official and discussed what our premarital counseling sessions would be like. We learned a little bit about each other and got answered any questions we had for each other. Overall, it was pretty simple.

One issue she cringed at was that we (especially myself) want two ring bearers and two flower girls. And if you know who those four are going to be, you would not cringe. Instead you would be exceptionally thrilled! My two nieces, nephew, and godson are adorable, kind, and downright wonderful!

Joel "Joey" Hood

I have known Joey all his life (he'll be 5 in July). He is the son of my Maid of Honor, Lindsay. He is super brilliant! He can tell you about dinosaurs, teach you some new vocabulary, and stay entertained for hours. He sings all sorts of songs, including originals. He loves his mommy! He used to bring her "presents" from his playground (rocks, sand). On a recent playdate to the Children's Museum of Atlanta, he played very well with the other children and helped take entertain Cameron.

Cameron Leverette

This is my first and only nephew. He is the son of my older sister Jessi. Cameron is a chubby ball of energy. He is super sweet and almost always smiling. I think the only time he's not smiling is when he's asleep. He loves exploring, learning, and getting dirty. Even though he may be entertained with just a piece of chalk and some sidewalk, his nearly-two-year-old self will just as quickly get up and start running. He runs everywhere; he somehow skipped the stage of walking. He loves my brother Josh. No one or thing else at my house matters until after he's found Josh -- not even a ball, which is saying something.

Kenleigh Turner

Kenleigh is my first niece given to me by my oldest sister Jaime. They currently live in Spangdahlem, Germany. I got the opportunity to visit and stay with for two weeks last Christmas/New Year's. So I got to spend plenty of time with Kenleigh and Jaime then. She was a doll! Sweet, entertaining, talkative, energetic, and fun! I was pretty much constantly laughing at her because she's so funny. And now that she has a baby sister, she does a great job of helping take care of her. I have no doubt that she will also do a great job of helping her sister walk and throw some flower petals (it won't be her first rodeo).

Aislynn Turner

I've never met Aislynn before in person. So, I don't know much about her personality. I know that she is kind of bipolar. I heard her once on the phone where she was crying for attention (and possibly because she was hungry) and then she starts laughing for no real reason other than she's a bipolar baby. Last I heard, she was attempting to crawl on her own. And I think that is good progress towards my demand of her must being able to walk by 04 Dec. Jaime is doing a great job helping her to reach that. But even if she can't walk by Dec, I'm sure Kenleigh will be dragging her sister "Aisawynn" down the aisle either way. Tongue out, eyes open seems to be her signature look.

School is winding down

Just an FYI for everyone out there in the interwebs, but our semester is winding down.
This week is dead week, as everyone is either dead tired, wishes they were dead, or realize their parents are going to kill them when they learn their grades.
Next week is FINALS (F*** I never actually learned s***). Both Jennifer and I have only one final fortunately, but have some papers and such due as well.

In the mean time I need to find a storage pod/facility/thingymajig to keep my stuff in for the summer. I have a week and a half to do that. Last minute I know. Going online today to handle that.

But at the end of next week is SUMMER!!! (Not Glau)

So yeah, my summer plans are as follows
Bro's Graduation
Cruise whenever
Minnesota sometime
Painting models
Running
Reading (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you are finally going down)
Videogames (With Romance comes Dynasty Warriors, naturally)
*Wow, just spent like 10 minutes reading those wikipedia articles. Cool stuff. Cao Cao is the man. Watch Red Cliff. You'll know.

And Jennifer has OCS. Good Luck Babe!

Oh, and Minnesota is actually more like this:
I won $150 with that picture...

Clear your calendars

Unless you have something particularly amazing happening Dec. 4th, like front row tickets to see Ted Nugent in his one night only Vegas Extravaganza (if so please hook me up), then clear your calendars.

It is official: December 4th is ours.

Finally a date is set. According to Jennifer, she jumped around her apartment in excitement for about a half an hour when she found out.

Since that means the wedding is in the winter I imagine the church will look something like this:
Otherwise I will be somewhat disappointed.

So mark it down on you calendar, write it in your day planner, store in your black berry, get it tattooed in blood upon your forehead so you see it in the mirror everyday when you brush your teeth. Branding is also a viable option. I know a guy if you are interested. I am sure I can get you a discounted rate.

In summary you need only remember 2 things
1- December 4th
2- Get me one of those Nuge tickets.

Update

Okay, so I know that the last post said something along the lines of we would have a date by now and would have met with Fr. Dan this morning, but I got a phone call yesterday. Now don't jump to conclusions, they didn't cancel on us. Well, actually, they did. BUT that's because he has too many weddings to do this year and will not be able to do ours. Luckily, they have more than one priest (I guess because it's Atlanta and they can afford to do that sort of thing).

Instead of working with Dan, we will be working with Rev. Pat Grace. I talked to her yesterday and she seems stoked that she gets to work with us! That made me happy. The hard part is that her schedule doesn't match up well with mine and Evan's. So we are trying to work that part out with just getting to meet her. (and storming the church like last time won't work because she wont be there). She did ask what date we wanted and I told her. She had to check the calendar and get back to me on that one. She did claim that they don't get many weddings in December so the 4th should be open. Another aspect that made me happy.

So, within a few hours, Fr. Dan had to cancel on us, the secretary sent me an email, then before I had a chance to read it called me, and then I was point on the line with Pat (had to leave a message), she called me back, and we set a tentative appointment for this Thursday at 3:30 pm. But then Evan has class, so we now have to reschedule, hopefully for later in that day.

Prayers and luck wishes are appreciated.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

So, I'll dish out the good news first.

The good news is that Evan and I have been able to finally set up a meeting with the priest of St. Luke's. The meeting is set for the 21st of April (almost 5 whole months after the first time I tried to set up a meeting). This meeting will be our first marriage counseling session where we will be able to SET THE DATE!!! There have been some church policies that Fr. Dan has been strong about staying true to. One of the policies is that in order to be married at St. Luke's one of us must be a member of St. Luke's Episcopal. In addition to being an official member, we have to be an active member for a year before the wedding. In our defense, we have been going to church services at St. Luke's for one and two years AND it has taken them almost a half of a year to make us members.

The bad news:

I was having some symptoms last week where if a person has this it could be potentially bad or very bad. We're talking a stomach ulcer all the way to several cancers. I went to the doctor on Friday where they did a blood test. I had high but within the normal range of white blood cell count. Since I wasn't experiencing any pain or fever, I was to check back on Monday for another blood test and then we would go from there to find out what was wrong with me. Well, on Saturday morning I ran a 5K on Georgia Tech campus where I came in 1st place for females and 9th overall. Although that is very good news, I thought I was going to die. Literally. I ran at about a 7:30 min/mile, so I was dashing about for the whole thing. Fast; the whole time. I was just over half-way done when my stomach started hurting and I had to decide if I wanted to finish the race as the first female and win or if I wanted to live. I was faced with the die-lemma of death or a prize. I rationalized that since I was wining and was over half-way done, then I should continue the race and hope for the best. In case you can't tell, I didn't die and I won the race. So it's a win-win. But later that day and Sunday evening, my stomach started hurting plus I was warm to the touch. So I went to the emergency room. Actually, Evan and my mom were there too. They were so sweet to be there for me. We got to the hospital around 6 pm and didn't leave out of there until around 1 am. After waiting for a room, drinking disgusting dye that quickly reached my colon, waiting to go to radiology for a CT scan, getting scanned, waiting for the results, and then waiting for the doctor to come to my room to tell us what's wrong with me, we finally got a diagnoses. I have diverticulitis and an ovarian cyst.

And now for the ugly:

I GOT CO!! That is Battalion Commanding Officer. "How is that ugly?" Well, I may not have it after all. I may get shafted once again for no reason that seems to make sense. This past year, I was awarded the Battalion Master Chief position which isn't so bad, but I go the position after someone else did. Not just anyone else, this is a guy who has thought he's all that and a bag of potato chips ever since I've known him. He hasn't changed. I had more right to get it when I wanted to get it, but for a reason that seemed to not make sense (because it was based on one person's opinion and not fact) I was awarded the position for Spring semester. So while I should have gotten what I wanted, he did. TWO SEMESTERS IN A ROW! To make matters worse, he may be getting the same deal he did this year. HE may be CO for the Fall and I'm in the Spring. But I will not have that. If the permanent staff decide they want it that way, I'll come up with a plan. But unless their plan works for my benefit, I will not accept what they offer. That's how ugly it is.

[Edit: The "ugly" was based off a rumor which was based on the truth but more dramatic. He was not going to be CO, but XO in the Fall and I'm still CO, but just in the Spring. So, it's less ugly b/c he's not going to be CO and I'm still going to be CO, just in the Fall. I'm glad we're clear on that.]

Introductions are in order...

Well, first of all let me deliver some good news: I am finally a member at St. Luke's. SWEET TEA! YAY! (inside joke, so read it in an inside voice). I guess Jennifer and I should set an appointment with the priest and get this show on the road.

So I want to introduce 2 members of the Wedding Party many of you may no know: Wesley and Derek. These are 2 of my 4 (possibly 6, but I need to talk to the other 2 guys to see if they are up for it) groomsmen.

Derek Zink. That's with a K not a C. He is not an element.
See. No Resemblance. Okay maybe Derek is a little flaky (just kidding).

ANYWHO, Derek is a Seminole County fire fighter/paramedic (if you couldn't tell from the photo). He enjoys AC/DC, pina coladas, long walks on the beach, and the Tuba. His atomic number is 30.

I have known Derek since freshman year of high school. Met at band camp where he was wearing a shirt that was a size too small, was black (in the FL sun) and said "The Human Resistance" on it (from Terminator). Been friends ever since. If I didn't have Wesley, this guy would be my best man.

He is just an awesome fun guy who I have always gotten along with and will continue to do so for years to come. Peace bro!

Next is this guy: Wesley Valdyke.
Parents, if there are small children in the room you may want to have them avert there eyes because this next photo is surely graphic content.
AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

I have known Wesley since August 21st 1991 as far as the United States Government is concerned. I would tell you more about that, but then I'd have to kill you.

Anyways, he is my number one man and best friend. If for some reason he couldn't make it to the wedding, I'd postpone it. Wesley is a senior at WSHS (go bears) and plans on attending USF as a physics major, and will be doing NROTC (he wants to fly F-35s). So I guess he turned out alright.

He is an eagle scout like his big bro, dad and Poppy. He too drives a Jeep, plays Warhammer, and likes metal/rock. Basically trying to copy my style ;) Well, I give into two facts: he is a better dresser and more of a ladies man. The latter most likely has something to do with the former.
And his smile


Okay actually the second one is this.

My room mate Joel said he is the coolest little brother he knows and rates around 50 Mega-Fonzies on the coolness scale. I'd have to agree.

So there you go. Those are the 2 guys in the party from my side of things (other than myself). I hope you found this informative and entertaining.

Just FYI I was making allot of jokes, not being cruel.
Except about Wesley's picture. That's serious business. Your charitable donations to the "Buy Grendel A New Face" fund are tax deductible and will go to fixing the elephantitus that surely must be affecting his face.

All in the family

*This has to do with family and not about anything that ever happened between Evan and me. And I say "me" because it is the object of between.*

I don't really know what is "all in the family" because where I come from it doesn't stay in the family at all. It bleeds out into the public. It effects us all, and we interact with others, in turn effect them. Like dominos, the chain continues because we are all in someway connected to each other. In my 21 years of life, I have seen only instances where we have only wanted the best for our family and the ones we love. (However, there were those few times of jealousy where we wanted to sabotage the good luck streak of our younger brother who happened to get all the cool toys).

But when we all grow up and mature (at least somewhat) is it then that we realize that the happier we are for the successes of the ones we love, the happier we are in general about ourselves. When we also reach that point we understand that what harms our loved ones effects us as well. No longer are we the children that want only the best for ourselves; we are the adults that want the best for others. We get an emotional high from the successes of our family. We also feel the emotional low when our families struggle with their own lives. We hurt (maybe not as much as they do, but we hurt) nonetheless.

When families are in conflict is when I feel the most stress is felt in a family. At least when families are on the same side, they are together in their struggle. What is most conflicting is that when a family is in a struggle, the other side is only wanting the best for themselves. Stay with me, I have a theory!

We say that we want the best for them, but really we want the best for ourselves. If someone (A) appears to be supportive of the other side (B) but you still wholeheartedly believe they are wrong, I theorize that A wants B to believe that A has the best interest in B so that relations between A and B are still good. For A, the guilt is no longer on A because B and A have good relations despite their disagreement.

When the disagreement is open and A is adamant (verbally, physically, etc.) about not letting B make the decision that B believes is right but A believes is totally disastrous, it may be harder to discern what A's motives are but A is still doing it for the sake of A. Perhaps A is jealous and returning to childlike behavior. Perhaps A really does want B to be happy and feels that B is making a mistake. So how is the last one for the sake of A? Well, like I said in the beginning, families are emotionally attached. If A sees that B cannot "see the light," it becomes stressful for A to get B to understand A's side. And it is stressful for B because B knows exactly what is right for B. A conflict occurs, usually because of a miscommunication and then no one knows what was truly meant to be said.

HAPPY EASTER!

Hello all!

I hope everyone has a great Easter Week! I can feel that Evan and I will too. I'm pretty optimistic that this week we will get our wedding date set. I have officially been accepted as a member to St. Luke's as of late last week. And now that that has finally happened, we are waiting to find out what the next step is. Since last week was Holy Week, Fr. Dan was extremely busy and his secretary did not get a chance to ask what that next step would be for us.

I was hoping that this post would have been dedicated to an official date, but sadly it is not. Evan and I and I know all of you will be super stoked to know that we have an official date whenever that happens. So when it does, I will certainly let you be aware of when it will be. Please keep your fingers crossed that we can get a date set soon!

I love you all! And have a happy Easter!

Enter the Balrog

Hi. I know it says this is posted by "Gothmog". Those of you who know me know why and who that is. Those of you who don't, well I guess it is pretty easy to figure out (click the link). As for why, well, that is a longer story.
Thats me. On the left. Well at least on the Internet.

Anyways, I guess I should talk about wedding stuff here, which is definitely different from my usual blogging habits.

So what to say at 12:47 on a Sunday morning. Well for one, I love Jennifer, even though she thinks I am a total nerd for having the 1st half of this be about Balrogs.

I really don't have much else to say that hasn't already been said on the site. I am tired of waiting for a St. Lukes to process our membership stuff. It was old 2 months ago. Lets get going people. Chop Chop. I would like to get on with planning this thing. Especially the food. And cake. Mmmm Cake. Hmmm Cake.

Well, I will be saying stuff here as often as I have something to say I suppose.

I'm numb to all things wedding related

It has been three full months since the first time I asked about if the date we wanted at St. Luke's was available. And After three full months we still do not have a dat set. I cannot make any concrete plans unless I have a date set. Without a date, I can only toss around ideas--all hypothetical thoughts. I keep looking at pictures thinking of the possibilities that I could apply to them, but now I am numb. It has been so long without making any plans that I am now no longer feeling any excitement. I am just confused.

I am confused about what I want. I do not know if what I want is actually what I want. Browsing pictures I like so many things that nothing stands out to me. I cannot make all of this happen by myself (Evan is helping, so don't think that it's all on me). I'm just saying that I wish I had someone to tell me what I wanted and it actually be exactly what I really want. I so not want someone to tell me what I "really want" or what I "need." I want someone who truly knows me and understands the feel we are trying to go for. The challenge in that is that we aren't entirely sure of what we want it to be. Probably it is because I like so many things that they cannot be tied together or that I just do not care anymore.

Is a date too much to ask for? Maybe once I have a date, I will feel the excitement again. But right now, I am too numb from all of the pictures and all of the things I want from those pictures to feel a strong liking for one or two of the favorites. I like them all; I dislike them all. Nothing stands out from all of the rest as the one that really speaks to me.

But I never was the little girl that thought and planned her wedding by the age of 8. I don't think that I will ever have a wedding that is my dream wedding. I mean that I am so indecisive that what I want at any given time will be different later than what it would be the decision is made. It's really tough being me.

Still waiting...

Yep! That's right. We are still waiting to set a date. Before we can set a date, we have to become members of St. Luke's. We are waiting for St. Luke's to make at least one of us a member. It could be possible to know where we stand on this issue, but we don't hear from them. The only way we find anything out is if we contact them. Several people wonder why are we still trying to get married at this church and why we don't go somewhere else.

Before a few weeks ago, we had only been to the sanctuary on Sundays. We went to the church on a business day to find out what was going on with the paperwork and to look around the church. We got a tour of the church and find out that their reception area is way too small for the amount of people we want to celebrate the beginning of our marriage with. So I went looking around online for sites around Atlanta that would be suitable for a reception. And I think we've found a great place. Once we set a date with the church, then I'll be able to settle a lot more things (one of them will be the reception site)!

Until then, we are still waiting...

Church and Dress update

So, Evan and I have had some problems with getting the church we want. I don't want to go into too much detail, but there have been some communication issues in which we finally had to just go to the church to clear things up. We have a meeting tomorrow with the priest on matters unrelated to a wedding and our membership to the church is almost settled.

This weekend, Josh had a soccer tournament. There was a five-hour gap between the end of the first game and the beginning of the last game of the day. So while Josh was eating pizza with the team and watching mistakes on the video of the first game, my mother and I went to Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia. Our first mission was to find new goalie gloves for Josh. However, we got a little sidetracked. We actually didn't go to any sports stores and forgot about it until Josh called four hours into our shopping asking where we were and if we could get him so that he could find the gloves. Well.....sorry Josh, but we forgot you.

We first went to Macy's just to look around. We went to other stores and I tried on some dresses and we looked at others for bridesmaids-potential wear. I found this one dress that I liked a lot, but I wasn't so satisfied and didn't get it.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. Once we know our wedding date, we can get SO much more done.

Welcome!

This blog is designed to keep you informed of all things important that is happening in mine and Evan's preparation for our wedding. I will mostly be writing this, so read and comment on.

Key players you may not know but should:

Jennifer-the bride

Evan-the groom

Leigh aka "my mom"-mother of the bride

Kim aka "Evan's mom"-mother of the groom

Brad aka "Evan's dad"-father of the groom

Lindsay-my best friend and maid of honor

Wesley-Evan's brother and the best man

Jaime-my oldest sister and bridesmaid

Jessi-my older sister and bridesmaid

Amanda-my roommate and bridesmaid

Derek-Evan's friend and groomsman

Adam-my younger brother and groomsman

Josh-my youngest brother and groomsman

Joey-Lindsay's son and ring bearer

Cameron aka "my nephew"-Jessi's son and ring bearer

Kenleigh-Jaime's oldest daughter and flower girl

Aislynn-Jaime's youngest daughter and flower girl